


Neighbors

by c00kie



Series: Neighbors [1]
Category: Parks and Recreation
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Drug Use, F/M, teenagers having sexy times but not intercourse, underage consumption of alcohol
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-08-27
Updated: 2013-08-27
Packaged: 2017-12-24 19:35:27
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Underage
Chapters: 2
Words: 21,485
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/943841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/c00kie/pseuds/c00kie
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The first time Ben thinks about kissing Leslie, they're eating tacos on the back of his car at ten thirty on the Friday night before the start of senior year.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to the following people:  
> My bestie Ash, for the beta and support.  
> Frea O'Scanlin for the art.  
> het_bigbang for throwing this shindig.  
> And to all the people who said they wanted to read this when I mentioned I was writing it. I'm holding you all to that, btw.

**August, 2010:**

The first time Ben thinks about kissing Leslie, they're eating tacos on the back of his car at ten thirty on the Friday night before the start of senior year. 

"Are you going out for baseball?" she asks. His dad wanted to know during their earlier weekly phone conversation too, but Ben didn't have an answer then and he definitely doesn't have one now. He likes baseball, likes both watching and playing it, but a part of him just wants to relax this year and not have to worry so much about winning a championship. Although, considering Pawnee Central's record, that's highly unlikely anyway. 

"Haven't decided," he says, taking a sip of his Sprite. 

"Well you're still doing Debate and Model UN, right?" 

Ben shrugs. "Sure." He has no intention of quitting those, if for no other reason than Leslie might smother him with his pillow while he sleeps. It's possible; his mom is far too relaxed about letting her hang out in his room. Not that anything has ever happened, or will ever happen, it's just unnerving to wake up to Leslie waiting for him wake up so they can go to JJ's for waffles. 

"Okay, good." She hops off his car to throw her trash away and when she comes back, he's startled by the way her hair catches the light. 

He's been aware of how pretty Leslie is ever since he moved to Pawnee at the beginning of eighth grade and she brought over a plate of welcome to the neighborhood cookies, but he's never wanted to kiss her before. But now, underneath the neon Taco Bell sign with the insects buzzing around the street lamps overhead, he does. 

Her phone rings and she smiles at him while she answers it with a, "Hey," in a soft tone that makes it clear she's talking to her boyfriend, Spencer. 

"Sure, I can meet you at Ramsett Park tomorrow. " She smiles at Ben and he smiles back, but has to look away because his heart is doing somersaults no matter how hard he tries to stop it. "What? No, I'm with Ben." At hearing his name, he looks back at her, only to see her roll her eyes. "Because we're friends? No, why would Ann be with us?" 

Ben knows he really shouldn't listen to Leslie get into a fight with her new boyfriend, but since it's about him, he does. Leslie makes a face at him like she wants to scream, and really Spencer should count himself lucky that Leslie isn't full on yelling by now. 

She's yelled at Ben for a lot less. 

She hangs up on him. "Ready?" 

"Trouble?" Ben asks, taking a final bite of his last taco. 

"Why are guys stupid?" 

Ben shakes his head, knowing that this is probably some trap and Leslie probably doesn't want to know the answer anyway. 

"It's like with Chris and Ann." 

Ben's been wondering when they were going to come up. 

"She's a perfect human specimen and he dumped her like day old chowder." 

"Yeah well…" Ben knows he should say something to defend his friend, but her face is flushed and her eyes are dark and yeah, he's really attracted to her. 

It's not a brand new feeling, he's a guy, he has eyes, she's beautiful, but this feeling of wanting to hop off his car and walk toward her and cup her face? That is. And it's scary and he wants to just push it away before he ends up doing something stupid that he'll regret. 

He ignores the unhelpful voice in his head that says he wouldn't regret kissing her. 

**Five months ago, give or take a few days:**

It's not uncommon for Ben to be asked about his relationship with Leslie. Usually it's from guys who want to know if they're seeing each other and if not, would it be cool if they ask her out, as if Ben's her keeper. It's annoying, but since his feelings for Leslie are one hundred percent platonic, he just shrugs and tells them to go for it. 

The worst of it though, comes from their friends. 

"You ever seen Leslie naked?" 

Ben coughs. "What?" 

"Your rooms are across from each other right? You probably peeked at least once, am I right?' 

Ben decides to ignore Jean-Ralphio's question in favor of taking another hit of the joint before passing it to Andy. 

"Have you?" 

"Really Tom?" 

Tom just shrugs. "What? She's not my type but you gotta have peeked at least once." 

Ben rolls his eyes as Andy chimes in how he'd totally hit Leslie and stands up. "Whatever, I'm getting another beer." 

"Hey, get me one too!" 

Ben nods back at Andy and goes over to the mini fridge in Andy's basement, grabbing two beers which he opens with the bottle opener on top. Sitting back down, he hands one to Andy and takes a long drink of his before putting it on the coffee table in front of him. 

"Man, if I lived next door to Knope I would watch her every day and that's no joke." 

"We're lucky you don't then," Ben says and Jean- Ralphio just smiles back as if to say, 'good point.' 

Ben and Leslie have an unspoken arrangement when it comes to nudity. They close their curtains when they're naked or otherwise need privacy, but otherwise they stay open so if they need to talk, they can just shout across the small patch of grass that separates them. He's not sure how this came to be, since they never talked about it. 

Actually, he thinks it might be because one time he accidentally caught a glimpse of her back while she was putting on a shirt. It wasn't traumatizing or even all that erotic, but at fifteen the sight of a girl's naked back was enough to make Ben have some issues. And of course, he felt so guilty that he didn't talk to Leslie for two days, until she pushed him to confess and he shouted, "I saw your back," before running to Andy's house where he camped out until his brother came and dragged him back home. 

So yeah, curtains.

**Now:**

Ben wakes up to his mother's voice yelling to come down for breakfast. All he really wants to do is roll back over and go back to sleep, but the smell of bananas and bacon is far too enticing so he rolls out of bed and hurries downstairs before Henry eats all the bacon. 

"Get your hand out of my plate!" Sure enough, Stephanie's already smacking Henry's hand as he tries to snag a piece off her plate. 

Ben rolls his eyes and pours himself a cup of coffee. 

"Mornin' bro. Heard you had a date last night with Neighbor Girl." 

Taking his usual seat beside his sister, Ben regards Henry over his cup. "It wasn't a date. We just hung out. Like we do, because we're friends." 

"Yeah, who else was with you?" 

"No one," Ben answers, smiling at his mom as she puts his plate in front of him. 

"Uh huh," Henry's mouth forms a flat line across his face, "and what did you do?" 

"We saw _Inceception_ and then went to Taco Bell." Ben takes a bite of his pancakes and grins. His mom isn't the best cook in the world, but her banana pancakes are one of his favorite things in the world. 

"That's called a date, Benji." 

Ben rubs his face. "It wasn't-" 

"He and Leslie hugged when they got home," Stephanie chimes in. "It looked really intense." 

Henry smirks and no matter how hard Ben tries to argue that it wasn't a date, it falls on deaf ears. 

Ben tries to ignore his siblings while he eats, but when it turns to speculation as to what their kids will look like, he's had enough. 

"She has a boyfriend." 

"Neighbor Girl has a boyfriend and she was with you? Dude." 

Ben pushes his plate away, unfinished and goes upstairs to get ready for work. 

Henry's packing up his truck when Ben starts to leave. He stops and comes up to Ben's car, holding his door so Ben can't close it. 

"What?" 

"I'm gonna give you some advice." 

Ben rolls his eyes. "Great." 

"Neighbor Girl isn't going to wait around forever, better jump on that dish before she runs off with another spoon." Then he closes the door, pats the hood and winks as Ben drives away. 

**January, this year:**

Snow crunches underneath Ben's shoes as he walks down the sidewalk through Ramsett Park. He wraps his scarf around his neck tighter, the cold hair hitting his face, turning his cheeks red. He approaches Leslie, holding out the bag from JJ's. 

She sets her book down beside her and takes the bag, placing it in her lap as she opens the Styrofoam box. "You got me waffles?" 

"Yeah." He wipes off the bench and sits next to her. "Aren't you cold?" he asks, brushing snow off her shoulder. 

"Freezing," she answers, dumping the tub of whipped cream on her waffle and taking a bite. 

"Okay, so why are you here?" 

"It's a pretty day," she says and Ben looks around at the overcast sky and the patches of yellow snow on the grass. 

"Sure," he says, figuring it's better to just agree with her instead of arguing, especially after he breaks the news. "So um, I got a job today." 

Leslie smiles as she takes another bite. "Oh really, where?" 

Ben takes a deep breath. "Um, you're not going to like it." 

The lines between her eyes appear as she studies him. "Why, what are you doing? Are you smuggling drugs?" 

Confused, Ben raises his eyebrow at Leslie's concern. "What? No. Nothing like that." 

She sighs, relaxing. "Okay well it can't be that bad." 

"It's at the library." 

"I take it back. That's definitely worse. You're working at the library?" She shoots to her feet still holding her waffles in her hands. 

He stands too, mostly because his toes are getting cold and he figures he might need them soon to start running. "Leslie, libraries aren't-" 

"They're full of book peddling she demons, Ben! Who want to take your virginity and eat your soul!" 

Ben rolls his eyes. "I don't think they really want to do that." 

"You know Ron Swanson's ex-wife works at the library." 

Ben nods, allowing his lips to form a small smile. "Oh yeah, Tammy, she's my boss. She's nice." 

"Quit." 

"Leslie, I'm not going to quit. It's a good job and it pays well." It's actually a terrible job and pays next to nothing, but he's not about to admit that to Leslie. 

"Ben, you can't work there. Do you remember what happened the last time Mr. Swanson got back with her? " 

Ben nods. He does remember, sometimes it even keeps him up at night. 

"Do you really want that to be you?" 

**Now:**

"Hello, Ben!" 

There are days when Ben really wished he took Leslie's advice and quit, and those days are Tuesdays and Thursdays from four to six thirty and Saturday and Sunday from eleven to three. 

"Uh, good afternoon Mrs. Swanson." 

"Oh, please, call me Tammy." 

"Uh…okay." He looks away and continues to shelf books; only Tammy takes a step closer, making Ben feel like a cornered animal while she looks him over. "How old are you now, Benny boy?" 

"Um... I'll be eighteen in February." He instantly winces, wishing he hadn't answered, especially now that Tammy's smile is even wider and more wicked. 

"Well then," she pats him on his shoulder, "good work, Benjamin. Keep it up." 

Bored, Ben sends Leslie a text. _How did your picnic go?"_

_Do you know who Rebecca is?_

_No?_

_Well Spencer does. He's dating her._

_Damn. I'm sorry. Want me to kick his ass?_

_Ann already offered but thanks."_

_Want JJ's_

_YES!_

Ben and Leslie take Stephanie back to school shopping on Sunday, along with every other person in Pawnee who has left their back to school shopping to the last minute. Ben keeps to his list, only buying what he absolutely needs, enough journals for his classes, a package each of pens and pencils, a new yellow highlighter and a bottle of white out. Leslie, on the other hand, buys more journals and binders than any normal human could possibly need, a box of colored highlighters and post it notes. The only person Ben knows who uses more post it notes is Chris. 

"I'm done," Stephanie announces, tossing some things inside the basket. 

"Do you really need all those?" 

"It's senior year," Leslie answers, as if that explains everything. He supposes in Leslie's world, it does. 

"Okay." A person bumps into his shoulder. "Sorry." He moves to the side of the aisle and watches Leslie throw a box of artist pencils into her cart. 

"Really?" 

"I'm taking drawing 101 this year. Hand me that sketchbook." 

"Doesn't Jerry teach that class?" Jerry was their homeroom teacher during their sophomore year, and it was probably a good thing his job consisted of reading announcements and not much else, because most of the time he failed at even doing that. 

Leslie's face scrunches up. "Yes, but I need the credit." 

Ben's pretty sure she doesn't need the credit at all and this is Leslie being an overachiever, but he hands her the sketchbook anyway as Stephanie reappears with two thesauruses. 

"I got you one too," she says Ben when he raises his eyebrow, "Are you excited for senior year?" she asks Leslie. 

Leslie beams, and Ben's stomach does a flip flop. "Yes! Are you excited?" 

"Well it's only sophomore year, there's not a lot to be excited about," Stephanie says, "but sure." 

Leslie smiles and claps her hands."I was so excited my sophomore year! Are you in drama? You should totally take drama. I took it sophomore year and it was so much fun. You can act right? Of course you can." Stephanie just shakes her head and Leslie looks over at Ben."Are you sure that's all you're getting?" 

"Yes." 

Leslie looks up at the ceiling and exhales. "Ugh. What about personal items or clothes? What are you wearing tomorrow?" 

"Clothes?" Ben says, "specifically a shirt and pants." 

He laughs, moving out of her reach before she can smack him on his chest. "Ben!" 

"Yes, Leslie?" 

"You're hopeless," she says. "Come on. At least get another plaid shirt, grandpa." 

Stephanie snorts and Ben glares at her but she and Leslie are already walking away. He follows them to the men's shirts section where Leslie proceeds to gather every plaid shirt they have and shove them in front of Ben, shaking her head and tossing them aside until she finds one she deems suitable. 

"This one." 

"I like it," Stephanie says. 

Ben sighs, wondering how this is his life. 

"Now what about personal items? How are you on razors and shaving cream? What about condoms?" 

Ben coughs. "Condoms? What do I need condoms for?" 

"Sex. What else?" 

This is not the conversation Ben wants to have in the middle of a Target especially when there are people staring at them and his sister is right next to him. At least she looks grossed out by the prospect of Ben having sex. 

"Uh. I don't think I'm going to need those." 

"Oh god. How can you be this irresponsible? Ben you should always have condoms. You never know when you're going to need one. Follow me." 

Ben looks over at the mom and dad who are now outright glaring and gives them his best apologetic look before following Leslie to the health section, Stephanie on his heels and laughing at his misfortune. 

They're on their way out of the store when Ann calls Leslie, asking if they want to meet at JJ's. 

Leslie of course, says yes without asking Ben, but it's just as well because he's hungry anyway. They drop Stephanie off at her friend's house first, and then they head to JJ's. 

Ten minutes into lunch, he's wishing he hadn't agreed to come because if he thought Leslie being mad at him because of Chris was bad, it's nothing compares to the way Ann waves her fork in his face, lamenting about Chris and men and she's lucky she doesn't stab his face. 

"I'm sorry?" It seems safer just to agree with her. 

"You should be," she says, stabbing her food instead. "Millicent Gergich. I was dumped for a Gergich!" 

"Um, to be fair, I don't think he broke up with you for-" 

"What was that?" Ann asks, waving her fork in his face again. 

"Nothing. Chris is the most awful person alive. He should pay for what he did to you. We should all pay." 

"That's right," she says, lowering her fork again. 

"Oh, Ann," Leslie says, "you are a beautiful capybara and any guy would be lucky to have you. It's Chris who doesn't deserve you." 

Ann raises her eyebrows at the compliment but smiles. "Thanks." * 

"Okay you were right," he says, dropping a bag of Fruityums on Leslie's lap. "The library is terrible and I should work somewhere else." 

"Did you quit?" 

"No." 

"Then your apology hasn't been accepted," she says, opening the bag, "but I'm taking these as collateral." 

He sits next to her. "That's fair." She scoots close and puts her head on his shoulder and for the next few hours they watch CSPAN together. 

Ben quits two weeks later, not because of Leslie, but because someone smacks him on the butt while he's shelving books and he doesn't make near enough to justify dealing with that. 

In return, Leslie hugs him so hard he thinks she might have bruised a rib. 

It's worth it. 

**August, 2005:**

"This is Ann, she's my best friend." 

"Hi." 

"And that's Tom and Donna, and you already know Andy. Andy and Ann used to date." 

Andy grins at Ann. "Those were some good times, weren't they A-Cakes?" 

"Hey." 

Donna steps forward, her eyes running down Ben's body. "You're scrawny but you'll do." 

"Hey!" Ben barely has time to react before a tall kid drapes his arm around Ben's shoulder. "Woah, who are you?" 

"This is my new neighbor, Ben. Ben, this is Jean- Ralphio." 

Jean- Ralphio nods his head up and down as he looks at Ben. "Cool. How are you doing?" 

"Um, good, I guess?" 

"You party, Ben?" 

Ben shakes his head. "Oh no. I want to go into politics so-" 

"Really?" 

Ben looks over at Leslie. "Yeah, why?" 

"Leslie's going to be the first female president," Andy says. 

"Oh." Ben sticks his hands in his pockets. "That's cool." 

**Now:**

Mr. Swanson announces student council elections two weeks after school starts. He starts drawing his campaign posters immediately, coming up with a cool design (if he says so himself) and a kick ass slogan in Photoshop during Computer Science. 

"Is that the Rebel Alliance symbol?" Ann asks. 

"Yeah, pretty cool huh?" 

"Sure." Ann doesn't sound sure as she leans over to read his slogan. "A vote for Ben Wyatt is a vote for the galaxy? Really?" 

"You don't like it?" 

"It's a little small." 

Ben looks at it, maybe the font is little small. He raises the size by one so that it'll still fit neatly on the page. 

A few days later Ben puts up his posters in the hallways. Leslie’s are already up of course and to say Ben thinks they’re terrible is an understatement. At the top they say “I’m Leslie Knope” and then there’s a long list of all the things Leslie’s “pro” including waffles in the cafeteria, more comprehensive exams, a Quidditch league and a bunch of other stuff Ben doesn’t even bother to read. He rolls his eyes just as a guy Ben recognizes as a smart kid named Howard, comes up next to him and put up a rather colorful poster that reads, “The Douche for Prez.” 

“Douche nation!” Howard calls out before chasing after a pretty girl in a low cut shirt. Ben shakes the experience off and goes back to putting his posters up before the first bell rings. 

That afternoon, he’s sitting in the kitchen doing his homework when the kitchen door swings open and the blonde hurricane known as Leslie Knope comes flying in. 

“What do you think you’re doing?” 

“My calculus homework?” 

She slams one of his posters in front of him. “This! What do you think you’re doing with this?” 

“Oh yeah, I’m running. Cool huh?” 

Her face scrunches up, turning a brilliant shade of crimson. “You,” she pokes him in the chest, “cannot run for student council president!” 

Ben doesn’t hold back his smirk. “I’m pretty sure I can and that I am. See?” He holds up his poster. “What do you think of it? Way better than yours.” 

She doesn’t say anything as she squints at him, her hands in tight fists at her waist. “Student council president is mine, hear me? Mine.” 

Briefly, Ben wonders if Leslie’s going around to all the other candidates' houses to threaten them. For some reason the thought of her poking guys like the Douche in the chest makes his stomach feel unsettled, but then she bends down so her nose is touching his and he can see every fleck of blue in her eyes and smell the sweet scent of whipped cream on her breath. “This is war.” Then she’s gone, the door slamming behind her before Ben can even blink. The whole thing’s confusing, if for no other reason than the strange mixture of annoyance and arousal he feels. 

Leslie wasn’t kidding when she said this was war. For every poster he puts up, she covers it with one of her own. He passes out buttons, she makes brownies. She even goes after their friends. 

“Which one of us are you voting for?” Leslie asks them at lunch. “If you say Ben, Ann I swear we’re no longer friends. No that’s not true, BFF forever. I love you.” 

“I’m voting for you, Leslie, don’t worry.” 

Leslie isn’t placated by Ann though. “And who are you voting for, Tom?” 

Tom looks startled for a minute before he calmly puts down his apple and smiles at Leslie. 

“Leslie, don’t worry. I’m totally voting for you.” When she turns to ask Donna who she’s voting for, he gestures to Ben and mouths, “You.” 

“I don’t know why you two are so worried about who we’re voting for,” Donna says, sipping on her bottle of cayenne tap water. “Bobby Newport’s running. You two don’t have a chance against that guy.” 

“Hey!” Leslie sounds appalled on their mutual behalf. Ben however, laughs, not because he thinks it’s funny, but because he knows full well that Bobby’s as stupid as he is popular, and that pretty much meant he’s going to win. If Ben really wants to win, he needs to come up with something that would get the student body to side with him. The question was what did he have? Before Ben can really think about it though he’s being turned in his seat and shaken. 

“Are you thinking what I’m thinking?” she asks, smiling so wide that he thinks she's going to pull a muscle. 

“No.” 

“Yes!” 

Ben really has no idea what Leslie’s jabbering about, but if he knows anything it’s to never trust her when she has that devilish gleam in her eye. “Leslie, whatever you’re thinking, stop it.” He looks at their friends for help but they all shrug. 

“But it’s a good idea, Ben! Probably my best idea yet.” She rubs her hands together, making her look like some maniacal James Bond villain. 

“Okay, now I definitely know the answer is no.” 

“You haven’t even heard what I’m going to say!” 

The bell rings, giving Ben the perfect excuse to leave. “Don’t want to,” he says, picking up his bag, “bye guys.” 

Leslie follows him out the door though, yapping in his ear about how running together in a joint campaign would heighten their chances of beating Bobby Newport and didn’t he agree that it would be better if they ran the school together rather than that idiot and okay that wasn’t very nice of her to say because he was always very nice to her but he had no business being student council president and Ben are you listening- 

"No." 

"No you won't run with me or no you're not listening?" 

"The first one." 

Leslie's arms cross, her foot tapping as she glares. "Why not? Come on Ben, we're a great team! Remember in ninth grade when we had to carry around an egg and pretend it was our baby? We were a great team then and we could be great now. Think of all the good we could do for this school!" 

"Leslie, I dropped the egg, remember?" 

"Yes, but before that, we did really good." 

He leans against the wall and laughs. It takes her a second, but she starts laughing too, a bright cackle that makes her seem impossibly beautiful and once again, he thinks about kissing her. 

"Yeah, Okay." 

She stops laughing, her eyes full of silent question. He nods, giving his assent. She throws her arms around him, squeezing him tight for ten seconds before letting go. 

"JJ's after school," she says, pointing her finger at him as she steps away. 

A large hand clamps his shoulder. Ben looks over at Andy, expecting him to start teasing about his relationship with Leslie, but the other boy remains silent, though his smile says everything for him. 

"I'm going to regret this." 

Andy's smile only grows larger. 

They go to JJ's after school, along with Tom and Ann, who spend the majority of the time arguing about sheet thread counts. Years of practice has given Ben the ability to tune them out so he's able to focus his attention on Leslie, who for some unknowable reason already has a binder made for their campaign. 

"When did you do this?" he asks, flipping through at least twenty pages of ideas and notes. 

"Spanish." 

"Ah." 

"Okay so I think we need to start with what we both want for the school. I want to be able to walk through hallway C without being afraid a raccoon is going to attack me and better food in the cafeteria-" 

"So waffles?" 

"I didn't say waffles," Leslie says with a roll of her eyes, "did I say waffles? No. But yeah, waffles." 

He laughs, gesturing for her to go on, but she looks down at her binder, her concentration momentarily lost as Tom's voice rises. 

"Cotton tee shirt sheets? Are you living in the dark ages?" 

"What? I make five twenty five an hour, Tom! I'm not going to spend my money on sheets!" 

"I agree with Ann," Ben says, breaking into the conversation while he waits. 

"What do you know?" Tom asks. "You have Star Wars sheets." 

"Ben's luxury is towels," Leslie says, still reading through her notes, "Oh also I think we should start a Quidditch league." 

"That could be fun," Ben says, "Four teams?" 

"Of course. " 

"Towels, huh? Maybe you're not as bad as a nerd as I thought you were." 

Ben regards Tom for a second. "Thanks, I guess." 

"Leslie," Ann says, "there's a guy over there staring at you." 

Both Ben and Leslie look at the same time. He's a tall red head who Ben recognizes from his home room. He doesn't know his name, just that he's new and an army brat. 

"Oh that's Dave," Leslie says after smiling and waving at the kid who blushes and waves back. 

"He likes you." 

Leslie shrugs. "Oh I don't know, he's kind of cute but I don't think we have much in common. He didn't know who Madeline Albright was." 

Ben's stomach curls in annoyance. "Can we get back on topic?" 

"I agree," Tom says. "Let's talk hair care products-" 

"No," Ben says. They've had this conversation before, and if he has to sit through it again he might stab someone (Tom) in the eye with his fork. 

"Are you guys doing okay?" Their waitress asks. 

"More coffee please," Ben says, giving her a thankful smile when she says sure and goes to get the pot. 

"Okay," Leslie says, clapping her hands down on the pages of her binder. "Let's talk slogans." 

**December, 2009**

"Can I come in?" 

Ben spins his chair around, his paper on the Roman Republic forgotten when he sees Leslie, leaning against the doorway, her makeup smudged. "Yeah, what's wrong? You usually don't knock." 

Leslie shrugs as she sits on his bed. "Ann and Mark are on a date and I don't want to be alone right now. Can I?" 

"Yeah." She grabs a random book off his bookshelf and begins to read. Ben turns back to his paper and works until he realizes he hasn't heard Leslie turn the page in the five minutes she's been there. He pushes his chair out from his desk and stands up, walking over to sit next to her. 

"I thought you were okay with them dating." 

She closes the book, letting it fall between her legs. "I am. I really am. But I'm still sad. And I know everyone says I can do better than him, but he was my first." 

"I'm sorry," he's not sure what he should say. Personally he thinks Mark is kind of an ass, but he keeps his opinions to himself and instead puts his arm around Leslie's shoulder. She burrows in closer to him, resting her head on his shoulder. 

"You're really bony." 

"I'm sorry." 

He can't see her face but he knows she's smiling all the same. "Thank you." 

**Now:**

Throughout the course of the week they figure out a full proof plan to beat Bobby Newport and stomp him into the ground, Leslie's words. They put up new red white and blue Knope/Wyatt posters, pass out cookies with their names written on them in icing, and Leslie even gives an impassioned speech in the middle of the courtyard before school. 

"That Leslie's something else, huh?" 

Ben glances at the guy next to him. "Yeah. Dave right?" 

"Yeah. I'm sorry, I don't know your name." 

"Ben." 

They shake hands. "Good to meet you." 

"Same." Ben looks back over at Leslie and she catches his eye and he lifts his hand and he nods, silently telling her she's doing great. 

"So uh, is she seeing anyone?" 

Ben stuffs his hands in his pockets. "Uh, no, I don't think so. She and her last boyfriend just broke up so I'm not sure if you know, she wants to see anyone?" 

"Ah," Dave says with a slight nod of his head. "Are you two?" He makes the same vague gesture guys always make when they ask about him and Leslie. 

"Us? No. Just friends." 

Dave frowns, his eyes flickering between Ben and Leslie. "You don't like her?" 

Ben looks at Leslie, taking in the way the light reflects off her hair and the bright smile on her face and then lets his eyes dart downward, at the way her breasts fill out her shirt and the curve of her hips and with a straight face, he says, "Nope." 

**September, 2009**

He's getting into his car when Leslie comes running out of her house, her shirt only half buttoned up revealing a white undershirt underneath, her feet bare, carrying her shoes in one hand, her bag in the other. “I need a ride. Please.” 

“Yeah, okay. Come on.” 

"Where's Stephanie?" 

"She went early for morning track practice," Ben says. 

“What’s in the box?” She asks, gesturing to the box of clothes his mom wants him to drop off at the Goodwill. 

“Gwyneth Paltrow’s head.” 

The face Leslie makes is worth the joke. "Gross. I hate that movie.” 

“That movie is a classic and you know it.” 

She rolls her eyes. “It’s dark and depressing. And it falls apart at the end.” 

“What?” Ben's never heard such a ridiculous claim in his life. “The end is the best part! God, this is just like the time you said you liked Ewoks.” 

“Ewoks are cute!” 

Ben shakes his head, smiling at her indignation. “Hey, we have time, you wanna stop by the Stop N Go for a donut or something?” 

Leslie looks at the clock on the dashboard. "I don't want to be late." 

He looks at the clock too. They're actually half an hour early. "Leslie, we've got plenty of time." 

She frowns, glancing at the clock again. “Fine. But you have to tell me what's in the box." 

"Clothes. Do you want to stop and get a donut?" 

"Sure." 

They run into Mark Brendanawicz at the Stop and Go, breaking any conversation Ben might be trying to have with Leslie. It's fine, it's not like he was asking her anything important, like what he missed in World History during his dentist appointment yesterday, so it's fine. He stops talking and goes to get their coffees while Leslie talks to Mark in the chip aisle, twirling her hair around her fingers and laughing at his stupid jokes. 

Not that Ben can hear them as he puts eight sugars into Leslie's coffee, but he bets it's stupid. Maybe it isn't fair, Mark isn't a bad guy, but he hates who Leslie becomes when he's around and the way Mark sort of strings her along by flirting with her one minute and then posting pictures of him and Trish Ianetta on his lap on Facebook the next. 

"Ready?" he asks, coming up beside Leslie. "Oh, hey Mark." 

"Ben, hey." Mark gives him a nod. "I gotta go," he tells Leslie, "see you." 

Leslie watches him go. "Is one those mine?" 

"Yeah," Ben hands it to her, but the lid pops off, splashing Leslie's shirt. "Oh shit, oh shit, I'm sorry, are you okay?" 

"Yeah," Leslie says with a wince, "it's not that hot. " 

They both look at the large coffee colored stain on her shirt, and Ben tries not to notice he can see her bra. "Um." 

"Are you okay?" The pimply faced clerk asks, thrusting some paper towels at Leslie's chest. "I called my manager you need to fill out an accident report." 

"I'm gonna go get you another," Ben tells her and she nods while she argues with the clerk about how she doesn't have time to wait and fill out a report. 

Of course they stay and wait for Eric's manager. "You can go," Leslie tells him, "this is embarrassing enough." She looks at Ben. "We're going to be late." 

"I'm sorry." Ben takes a sip of his coffee when his apology seems to appease her. "So what were you talking to Mark about?" 

"Nothing, he was asking about Ann." 

"Oh. He likes her?" 

"He says he does." She shrugs, "she says she doesn't like him but I don't know." Whatever Ben's going to say next is interrupted by the arrival of the store manager and to Ben's complete terror, a cop. 

"I don't have any pot," Ben blurts out. A hand covers his mouth before he can say anything else, and then she pushes him back behind her. 

"Ignore him," she tells the officer, "his father once told him cops were the boogie man and they wanted to eat his feet. Ben, no one wants to eat your feet, least of all this nice man." 

"That's not what-" 

"We were told there was an incident." 

"My lid popped off," Leslie says, "I'm not hurt." 

"I know how you feel about people suing!" Eric shouts from behind the register to the manager. 

"We need you to fill out a report, ma'aam." 

"Leslie Knope," she says, shaking the guy's hand like she wants him to commit it to memory for the future, when she shakes his hand again when she runs for office. 

By the time they're done they've already missed the first two periods and as they get inside Ben's car, it finally dawns on Leslie that her shirt is ruined. Her head falls back onto the seat. “I just remembered all I have to wear is my stupid gym shirt.” 

“You’ll be fine,” Ben promises. “No one will care what you look like.” 

“What is that supposed to mean?” 

Ben looks upward. “It means that no one cares what you wear.” 

“Because why? Because you don’t? Because you don’t care what I look like because you’re not attracted to me so no one else is either? Is that what that means, Ben?” 

The light is thankfully red, giving Ben the opportunity to stare at her. “What? That’s not what I meant at all.” 

Her return glower was strangely comforting. “Other boys do find me attractive.” 

“Um, okay?” Where is all this coming from? 

“The light’s green.” 

Ben pushes the gas and turns the music up, needing the distraction from the growing dread in his stomach. 

“Drop me off near the gym, please.” 

**Now:**

“Don’t forget to call your father," Julia says during dinner. 

Ben swallows his chicken and sighs. “Do I have to?” 

“You know the deal, at least one phone call a week. Personally, if I never had to deal with that man ever-” 

“We’ll call him,” Ben interrupts his mom quickly, not wanting to hear another one of her tirades against their dad. Stephanie nods, smiling without her showing her teeth. 

Their mom smiles and goes on to ask Stephanie about her day. Ben eats quietly, occasionally answering his mom's questions about his day but otherwise keeps to himself until the three of them finish eating. He leaves Stephanie to take care of the dishes and excuses himself to go upstairs to do his homework. 

Chris calls while Ben's doing his Calculus. 

"Ben Wyatt!" 

"Hey, Chris," Ben switches his phone to his other ear so he can do his biology homework and talk at the same time. 

"Great news, do you know Cindy Miller?" 

Ben tries to put the name to a person but fails. "No?" 

"Well she's agreed to go on a date with you." 

Ben groans. "You asked her out for me." This isn't the first time Chris has done this. 

"Yes, you're going to love her." Ben doubts that, but he knows Chris won't give up. 

"Give me her number and I'll text her." That's the best Ben's willing to do, because really the thought of dating gives him a stomachache. 

Plus, he's nervous about going out with a girl named Cindy after what happened last time. 

Stephanie pokes her head in his doorway. “Are we going to call dad?” 

He mouths “Yes,” to her. “Hey, Chris, I gotta go.” 

“Have a great night, Ben Wyatt!” 

“You too.” He hangs up and lets out a deep breath. “Okay, let’s get this over with.” 

They sit on his bed while he searches for his dad's number in his contacts. 

“Which one of us gets to talk to him first?” Stephanie asks. 

Ben sighs. “Rock, paper, scissors?” 

“Rock, paper, scissors, lizard, spock.” 

Ben narrows his eyes at Stephanie. “You know that show actually mocks nerd culture, right?” 

She pushes him. “Shut up.” 

“You shut up.” 

He ends up losing, which means he has to talk to his dad last. He wants to leave the room, but Stephanie puts her arm on his shoulder, silently asking him to stay. So he leans against the wall and listens to her side of the conversation. It's always the same. First he asks how school was and how her grades were and even though she had a three point eight, it wouldn’t be good enough. Then after all the personal questions, he segues into his weekly rant about how terrible their mom is and how she was raising them wrong and how at least Henry is making something of himself; Henry, who spends more time partying and hooking up than he does studying and has a D in three of his classes. 

“Benji wants to talk to you now.” She thrusts the phone into his hand. 

“Hey, Dad.” 

“Benny, my boy! How are you, son?” 

“Uh, I’m alright.” 

“I see. How is school? Are your grades good?" 

“It’s fine,” Ben lies, knowing if his dad found out about his C in Biology he’d flip out. “I got a ninety on my Civil War test.” 

“Only a Ninety?” His dad growls and Ben squeezes his fists until his knuckles turned red. 

“It’s a good grade, dad.” 

“If you say so.” 

Ben quickly shifts the conversation to baseball, the only topic he and his dad can talk about without stress. They talk about the game between the Mets and the Cardinals until his dad finally announces his girlfriend's home and he has to go. 

“Love you, Benny.” 

The awful thing was Ben knows his dad actually means it. He does love them, and that's why he's so hard on them. Truthfully, Ben isn't even mad at him, because at least he's showing an interest in their lives. “Love you too, dad.” 

Stephanie leaves after Ben hung up, saying she needs to go for a bike ride to clear her head and she’ll be back in time for curfew. 

Ben looks out the window into Leslie's room. Seeing her, he waves. "Come over?" 

She smiles back and nods, shutting her book closed. Minutes later she's in his room and they're watching _Game of Thrones_ on his laptop. He puts his arm around her shoulder and she leans against him and soon his anxiety fades. 

The election is held on Friday afternoon. On Monday morning, the results are read out by Leslie who does the morning announcements. It takes her a long time to get to their category since she has to read through all the other grades, but eventually she gets to the senior class. But he knows already. He knows because she's talking fast like she can't quite keep in her joy and he can practically hear her bounce on the heels of her feet. But still, hearing her say their name out load is pretty cool. 

The next time he sees her in the hallway, she runs at him full speed, leaping into his arms and nearly knocking him down. He hugs her, trying to keep his balance and not be distracted by the way her hair smells like apples before putting her down. 

"We won!" 

He laughs with her. "Yeah." 

She raises her hand and he high fives her, turning it into their secret handshake that always has Tom telling them to get a room. 

He notices she's wearing pink shimmer lip gloss. 

"We have so much to do. I have gymnastics this afternoon but we should definitely go over our agenda." 

"Yeah, sure, I have a Quiz Bowl meet tonight though, why don't we start at lunch?" 

"Good plan." She hugs him again and then waves at someone behind him. "Dave!" 

Ben watches as Leslie runs to Dave and kisses him. 

Well, Ben thinks as he slams his locker shut, that explains the pink lip gloss. 

He sends Cindy Miller a text asking if she wants to meet for coffee after Quiz Bowl. 

Cindy's attractive, with chin length brown hair and thin long legs that seem to go on for days. 

"Oh, you like _Doctor Who?_ " Ben points to her shirt. 

"Yeah. You? 

"Yeah, so uh, you know what you want?" "

I'll have a mochachino, no whipped cream." 

Ben pauses. "Uh, you don't like whipped cream?" 

"Cant stand the stuff," Cindy says, "I'm going to go sit over there." She walks away without so much as a second glance back at Ben and he can't say exactly why he's annoyed, just that he is. He orders their beverages though and goes to sit down next to her when they're ready. "

So. What do you think of the new Doctor?" "

He's good. I prefer Tennant though. And I hate River." 

Now Ben's really annoyed. "You hate River? Why?" 

Cindy takes a drink and makes a face. "Is this skim milk?" 

"Uh, no? Is it supposed to be?" 

"It's supposed to be soy." She says it like he's already supposed to know that. She sits it down on the table beside them and Ben knows she's never going to touch it again. 

He doesn't offer to get her another one. 

And he doesn't call her again. 

**Fall, 2008:**

The hospital is surprisingly empty at seven o’clock at night when Ben rushes into the emergency room, panting at the service desk. 

“Can you tell me what room Leslie Knope is in?” 

The nurse, who Ben reads on her name tag is named Carol, raises her eyebrow. “Who are you?” 

“I’m Ben Wyatt, her uh, neighbor.” 

The eyebrow only grows higher. “I see.” 

“Look, she just sent me this text saying she’s here and needs a ride home. Her mom is out of town for the weekend and so’s her best friend and I’m probably the tenth person she called, after Andy, who doesn’t even have a car and Oprah, so can you please just tell me what room she’s in?” 

Ben didn’t know it’s possible for a person to look that skeptical, yet somehow Carol manages it. “I remember you now. You were in here last week with the tall guy who broke his arm playing ultimate Frisbee.” 

“Yes! That’s Andy!” 

Carol rolls her eyes. “Fine. I’ll see where she is.” Ben smiles his thanks at her while she checks the computer. “She’s in room five. I’ll buzz you in.” 

“Thanks, Carol!” 

“Whatever,” the nurse says, but she’s smiling slightly as she pushes the button that opens the doors to the patient’s rooms. 

He walks past another pack of nurses and disinterested doctors who’re ignoring the cries and complaints of their patients to Leslie’s room. The door’s open so he pokes his head in, finding her with a cast on her leg and a scowl on her face. 

“So.” 

“Ben Wyatt!” she points at him and waggles her finger. “Quick, prove you haven’t been impervioused!” 

“What?” 

She looks around the room quickly before meeting his eyes again. “There are death eaters, here,” she whispers. “Shhh.” 

“Ah.” Ben looks at the IV bag next to her bed and nods, understanding. He doesn’t know what Leslie’s on, but it has to be good stuff. “I thought you needed a ride.” 

“I do. My broom’s broken, remember?” 

“Yeah, I...” Ben actually doesn’t have a response to that. “Are you sure you’re allowed to go home?” 

“Of course!” 

“Right-” Ben crosses his arms- “Leslie, who told you you could leave?” 

“The healer duh.” 

“Mmmhmm, and did this healer have a wand?” 

“Well of course he had a wand.” Leslie rolls her eyes. "He wouldn’t be much of a healer without one, now would he?” 

“Yeah, okay,” Ben sighs. “I’m going to go find an actual doctor. You wait here.” He realizes the idiocy of his statement as soon as he says it. “You know what I mean.” 

As it turns out, none of the doctors had said Leslie could go home, so Ben finds a soda machine and goes back to Leslie’s room. “Yeah, you’re staying for at least another night.” 

“This is so stupid,” she says, “I have crutches, I can totally take care of myself.” 

“I’m sure you can.” Ben sits down in the chair next to her bed. “What happened, anyway?” 

“I broke my kneecap.” 

“Yeah, I got that much. But I thought you were on a date.” 

“I was. I fell and while we were waiting for the ambulance he told me he wasn’t feelin’ it and left.” She shrugs, “It’s no big deal, his penis was tiny anyway.” 

Ben spits out his Sprite. “What?” 

She turns and stares at him for a minute while he wipes his face. 

"What?" he asks, dropping his arm. 

“You’re cute.” He knows she wouldn't be saying this if she wasn't drugged up. It's actually kind of a miracle she's talking to him right now at all. 

“Uh, thanks?” 

“You should wear muggle clothing more often.” 

“Um.” 

“I much prefer you in your Ravenclaw robes, but I have to say, that green really brings out the polka dots on your face.” 

Embarrassment washes over Ben. “That’s a zit, Leslie.” 

He ends up staying until another nurse comes to tell him visiting hours are over. It takes him another five minutes to actually leave though, because he has to convince Leslie she’s not Bellatrix in disguise. 

“Molly Weasley killed her, remember?” 

“Even so,” Leslie says, “I don’t trust her.” 

Ben doesn’t blame her entirely; the nurse does look somewhat untrustworthy, like she sneaks pills or something. It’s probably an unfair thing to say about someone who’s probably a perfectly decent person. 

“Okay,” he says, stuffing his hands into his pockets, “Text me tomorrow if they let you out.” 

“I will." She grins and waves. “Be careful flying home!” 

He starts to go out the door, and when he turns around to say goodbye again, she’s fast asleep. He covers her up with the blanket and moves her hair out of her face. "Night, Les." 

**Now:**

"I'm doing it, I'm calling April." 

Andy's been saying he's going to call April for the last hour, the number punched in, his finger dangling over the send button, and really Ben would be annoyed by the whole thing, but truth is he has something else on his mind. 

He saw Dave in Leslie's bedroom. In all the time Ben has known Leslie, she's never had a guy in her room and even though it had now been two months since their first date, Leslie having sex with him still surprises him. It's not because Dave's a prick, if anything he's actually the better of Leslie's boyfriends, it's just they don't really have much in common, Leslie even said so. 

Thankfully he only saw the other guy's silhouette through the curtain, but just the image alone was enough to sear into Ben's brain, and his over active imagination definitely took care of the rest. 

Andy pushes send. "It's ringing!" 

"Hello?" Ben hears a bored voice come through Andy's phone. He glances at Tom who hasn't looked up from his phone for the last twenty or so minutes. 

"Hi, is April Ludgate there?" 

"Yeah, hold on." 

Andy beams at Ben and Tom. "I'm on hold!" 

When April's voice comes on, speaking a cool and indifferent, "hello," Ben thinks Andy's going to burst with excitement. Ben can't help but smile though, because sure April is kind of scary, but Andy likes her and really that's all that matters. 

Ben kind of wishes he liked someone that way. 

He's grateful when his mom calls to tell him to come home for dinner. 

When he gets home though, he instantly regrets it because Leslie and Dave are on her front porch, kissing. Even from his car Ben can tell it's the kind of kiss that means goodbye, especially from the way Dave keeps his hand on Leslie's back and the way he kisses the top of her head. Ben stays in his car, pretending to look at his phone while he waits for the moment to pass so he can go inside. 

He hears Leslie say goodbye and something about promising to write and then Dave's getting in his car and driving away. 

Still Ben stares at his phone, now not wanting it to seem like he was waiting for Dave to leave. 

The tapping of knuckles on his window makes him throw his phone in the air as he jumps, startled. He picks up his phone from the passenger seat and gets out. 

"Hey." 

She doesn't say anything, just throws herself at him and cries into his shoulder. Ben rubs her back and runs his fingers through Leslie's hair, a sure fire way to calm her down. 

"What happened?" 

"He's moving to San Diego." 

"Oh." Well it's better than being dumped at a romantic picnic. Ben says this, making Leslie laugh. She looks up at him, her face tear streaked and blotchy. 

"Um," he says, trying to once again squash down the urge to kiss her, "do you want to come in for dinner?" 

She smiles into his shoulder. "Yes." 

"Okay." Ben hugs her again and then watches her go back inside her house before he goes into his. 

"Why's your shirt all wet?" Stephanie asks. 

"I know you were watching through the window, Steph. " Ben says and Stephanie doesn't smile or frown, but she does tilt her head and he shakes his. "I'm gonna go change." 

“Have you decided what you want to major in?” 

“History,” Leslie answering, smiling beatifically. 

“That’s an excellent choice,” Ben’s mom says, “I assume your focus is going to be colonial women?” 

“Of course! Although I’m really interested in Eleanor Roosevelt and Edith Bolling Wilson,” she looks at Stephanie, “Did you read that book on Nellie Bly I gave you?” 

“Twice! I’m totally going to be an investigative journalist now.” 

Ben watches as Leslie and Stephanie high five. He knows what they’re talking about, but he feels like an outsider as the three women continue their conversation about their favorite women in history while they eat. 

“This is really good, Julia.” 

“Thank you. I got the recipe from an old cookbook I found at a yard sale for ten cents.” 

“I’m thinking of majoring in accounting,” Ben says under his breath. They won't even get their acceptance letters until spring, so why they're having this conversation now is beyond Ben's understanding. 

“That’s nice, dear,” His mom smiles at him. “Oh, that reminds me; I read the most fascinating book about Frida Kahlo last week.” 

“Did you also get it at the yard sale too?” 

“No,” she answers Leslie, “the library.” 

Leslie’s face contorts into a disgusted expression. “Ew.” 

“Leslie hates the library.” Ben says. “She says all the women who work there are evil book peddling she demon whores.” 

“Leslie!” Ben’s mom gasps, “I can’t believe you’d say such a thing.” 

“Have you met them?” Leslie asks. “You know Mr. Swanson’s ex-wife works at the Library and she’s the worst of all of them.” 

Somehow Ben gets roped into doing the dishes despite it not being his turn. While he does, he listens while they talk in the dining room. The conversation itself isn’t that interesting, but he has to admit Leslie’s voice is kind of nice. 

And then the conversation takes a swift left turn into a discussion about birth control and sex. 

Ben’s not sure which is worse, his little sister asking Leslie what she was on, Stephanie wanting to go on birth control, or the thought of either one of them having sex. 

His brain betrays him at that moment, imagining a fully naked Leslie in his bed. He clutches the plate in his hands, willing his arousal to go away. 

“Are you okay?” 

He jumps at the sound of Leslie’s voice. The plate slipping out of his hand, crashing to the floor and breaking into pieces. 

Ben is pretty sure this was a metaphor for his life. 

“What?” It comes out as a squeak, so he coughs. “What?” 

“I asked if you’re okay. You seem distracted.” 

“I was. I was washing dishes. See?” He gestures around him. “Um, can you hand me the broom behind you?” 

“Sure,” she says, turning around to get the broom. “Here.” 

“Thanks,” he replies as he starts to sweep up the mess into the dustpan. Ben can feel Leslie watching him, but he keeps his head down. He doesn’t dare look at her. 

“Anyway, I just came to tell you I’m going home now.” 

“Oh. okay.” 

She walks up to him, wrapping her arms around him in another one of her familiar bone crushing hugs. "Thank you," she whispers into his ear, her warm breath caressing his ear and sending shivers down his spine. He hugs her back with the arm not holding the broom and kisses the top of her head. 

"No problem. " 

Ben watches Leslie’s retreating back as she walks out. He dumps the broken plate into the trash can just as Stephanie comes in. 

“You’re such an idiot.” 

Ben doesn’t even bother to protest. “I’m going to go call dad,” he says, figuring his day can’t get worse so he might as well add an awkward and terrifying conversation with his father. 

* 

When Ann announces she's setting Leslie up with her chemistry lab partner, Chris Mathis, Ben knows it isn't going to end well. He's seen him around, he's a forward on the basketball team and they had home room last year, but they've never actually spoken. 

It's really only a matter of time before it ends but in the meantime it means Ben has to endure the guy. 

“I’m going to Wisconsin next year,” Chris says, tearing his roll open. “Go Badgers.” 

“Boo!” Leslie replies with a laugh. “Indiana Hoosiers!” 

The smile drops from his face. “No. Badgers.” 

“Um, okay.” 

Ben smiles into his own roll. They won't have to endure this guy for very long. 

“I’d want x-ray vision as my superpower,” he says, “then I could see what’s inside this bread.” 

“If you looked inside that bread all you’d find is more bread,” Leslie teases. 

“I don’t know, I’d have to look inside.” 

Please God, Ben prays, make it sooner. 

“I need your help.” 

She literally has him trapped him in a corner. How, Ben's not sure. He’d been trying to leave class and now he's in a corner, unable to get free. God she's close. Wait, is Leslie going to kiss him? This is not how he pictured this happening. Not that he's pictured it, it's just...he's really not ready for this. “Uh, what?” 

“I said I need your help. I have a math test tomorrow and I’m having trouble.” 

“Oh.” Ben runs his hand through his hair and exhales “Yeah, sure. What part are you having trouble with?” 

“All of it.” 

It's a crime how cute she is, but has no choice than to relent. “Okay. I’ll help you. We can go to JJ’s after Ultimate Frisbee practice.” 

“You guys have practice?” She shudders. “You’re such a dweeb.” 

Ben laughs as he walks with her toward his next class. “I’ll see you later.” He leans down, giving her a quick peck on her cheek before going into his classroom where he instantly stills. “Did I just do what I think I just did?” 

“Do you mean did you just kiss Leslie Knope?” Chris asks. “Because if so, yes. I didn’t know you two were a couple! I think that’s literally the most amazing thing I have ever heard.” 

“What?” No,” Ben said, taking his seat. “We’re not together. I think she's dating that Chris Mathis guy." Or X-Ray, as Jean -Ralphio dubbed him. 

“Oh. I had tried to put that out of my mind to tell you the truth. In all honesty, I do not know what Leslie sees in the guys she dates.” 

Ben sighs, scribbling on his notebook. “Me neither.” 

“You guys are stupid,” April says, making Ben jump in his chair. 

“Why are you here?” 

“I’m in this class. Duh.” April rolls her eyes. “She does it because she feels like she shouldn’t be picky with the guys she dates because the guy she likes claims not to like her back.” She shoots finger guns at Ben and mouths, “You.” 

First of all, Ben has no memory of April being in this class or any of his classes, so something was clearly wrong there, two, Leslie doesn’t like him like that. She's said so. Sure some of the things she's said makes him think that maybe she might have more than friendly feelings, but if that was the case than Leslie really would just tell him. She's one of the most confident women Ben knows. Except for the times when she shows vulnerability, like when she worried about not being pretty. It was never something Ben really understood anyway. Leslie's stunning. Surely she knows that. And she's smart and funny and strong willed and determined and the best part of his day is when he gets to hang out with her. 

It's hard not to focus on these thoughts later at JJ's, her textbook and notebook sprawled out on the table in front of them along with her waffles and his turkey club. He tries his best not to dwell too much on whether or not she likes him, but every once in awhile she'll look at him with a soft smile that he thinks might mean something more than just platonic fondness. 

The weird part is it doesn't bother him. Sure, it would complicate things, because if it's true and Leslie does have a crush on him, then that could potentially ruin their friendship. 

The last thing Ben ever wants to do is hurt Leslie. 

"Hey, so how are things going with Chris?" 

Leslie looks up, "Hmm? What? Oh yeah that didn't work out. I don't get how I'm supposed to do this." 

Ben looks at her work. "Wow, do you even know your order of operations?" 

She slaps him on his shoulder. "Stop being a jerk." 

He tilts his chin down."Whatever you say, your highness," he says and they get back to work and he pushes all thoughts of Leslie liking him out of his mind. 

*


	2. Chapter 2

Ben's life goes to hell on Halloween. Technically it's the day before Halloween, but it's close enough in the evening and they're all at Ann's costume party, which up until Tom arrived, was possibly the most boring thing Ben had ever been to. Now though, he has enough jungle juice flowing in him he doesn't even care he and Leslie are wearing the same costume 

"Ben, truth or dare?" 

"Truth." 

Tom glances at Leslie who's talking to Ann in hushed tones, and then at Donna, who nods back. 

"What really happened with Cindy Eckert?" 

Even as buzzed as Ben is, his blood runs cold and his stomach clenches. "You know what happened, Tom." 

**May, 2009:**

“I hear you made out with Cindy Eckert,” Tom says to Ben five minutes before class is about to start. 

Ben drops his pencil and watches it roll underneath the cabinet. “What? How did you-” 

“Lucy saw you guys coming out of the third floor janitor's closet,” Tom says, “So? How was it?” 

Ben doesn’t even try to stop the smirk that crosses his face. “It was good.” He got to second, that counts as good, right? Right. 

“Dude, you made out with the hottest girl in school and it was just good? Come on! Give me details!” 

He’s about to answer when he hears the chair behind him squeak across the floor and out of the corner of his eye he sees Leslie march past him and walk over to Josh Davies desk. “Do you want to go out this weekend?” 

“With you? Uh, sure.” 

**Now:**

Leslie's actually watching him now, as if she's interested in knowing the answer too, but Ben's already explained his deal with Cindy. She made out with him in the janitor's closet on the third floor between fourth and fifth period until he made the mistake of asking her to go to homecoming with him. 

"Nothing, Tom," he says, remembering her face while she laughed at him, "I asked her out, she said no." 

"But you kept making out after that," Leslie says, and he has to stare at her because that's the part of the story he's never admitted to anyone, not even Leslie. "I saw you." 

He accepts the explanation but closes his eyes. "Yeah." 

"So why did it really end?" 

Ben looks down at the floor. "This carpet is filthy." 

"Ben." 

He closes his eyes. "Fuck, okay, hold on." He stands and marches to the punch bowl, dunks his cup into it and then swallows the whole thing in almost one gulp, wiping the excess off his face. He then turns around, marches back to his seat, plops down and looks straight at Leslie."She called you a bitch." 

The room falls silent and he hears someone say, "Damn," but all of his attention is on Leslie, who's staring at him like she's never seen him before. 

He swallows. "Next." 

The game continues and Ben loses interest, but he doesn't want to get up so he pulls out his phone and starts to watch the new _Star Trek_ while everyone else goes. At one point he dares Andy to streak down the street, but he doesn't get up to watch it. 

"Okay Leslie, it's your turn. Truth or Dare?" 

"Dare." 

Andy, now dressed in boxers, laughs, as Tom whispers into his ear and it should be a warning, but Ben's focus is now on Kirk and Bones, which is why he barely makes out the words kiss and Ben before Leslie's standing at his feet. 

"Get up, Wyatt." 

"What? Why?" 

"I have to kiss you. Stand up. Unless you want me to come down there." 

"But-" 

Leslie's arms cross over her chest as she looks down at him, her mouth in a firm line. "Look, Ben, I know you don't find me desirable or particularly want to kiss me and that's fine, but I really would rather not have to do the consequence dare if I can help it, so please, for me?" 

Ben sighs; the last thing he wants is for Leslie to have to sing the Eagleton fight song. His heart pounds but he decides to blame it on the alcohol. "Yeah, okay, but you owe me." He's pretty sure his words are slurring together, and the voice in his head that should be shouting this is a bad idea is mysteriously absent. 

"Whatever you want," she says and he gets up. "How are we supposed to this?" Leslie looks over at Andy, but it's Donna who answers. "One full minute, open mouth." 

"That's not so bad," Leslie says to Ben, who says nothing, because his head is already spinning and he's half convinced he's fallen asleep and this just a really vivid dream. She stands on her toes, her hand on his shoulder as she pulls him down so he meets her halfway. He swears she tastes like stardust and rainbows and cherry cola. He wraps his arm around her waist, feeling her small frame beneath the black pleather, deepening the kiss while she moans in his mouth and cups the back of his head. 

"Time's up." 

At Donna's announcement, Leslie breaks the kiss first and she steps back, her expression unreadable through her mask until a grin appears. "Who's next?" * 

Ben tries his best to forget about the kiss, because when he thinks about it, it always leads to what Marcia Langman, president of the society for family stability club refers to as, "Thoughts of impunity," which lead to awkward boners he has to take four showers to take care of. 

He hasn't had to take that many showers since his crush on Mrs. Brady when he was thirteen. 

That's the kicker. If he had kissed some random girl, it would be one thing. He'd jerk it off and that would be that. He might even ask her out. 

But this is Leslie. 

And the difference is the size of the Grand Canyon. 

He jogs with Chris through Ramsett Park that morning, but if Ben hopes Chris won't bring the kiss up, he's wrong. 

"You have to admit, it was rather passionate." 

"How would you know?" Ben asks, "you spent the night making out with Milli Gergich." 

He spends the afternoon at Andy's with him and Tom. It takes Ben about two seconds to regret his decision to come, because Tom keeps waggling his eyebrows and asks if he's seen Leslie yet, using obnoxious finger quotes. Ben decides it's best to switch topics. 

"How are things going with April?" Ben thinks if he can distract Andy, they'll stop bringing up Leslie. 

"Uh, awesome!" Andy says, beaming as he tunes his guitar. 

"You don't think she's a little scary?" Just the other day she had stared at him until Ben felt so uncomfortable he had to switch desks with Kelly Larson during English. 

“April? Nah. She’s weird, I guess. But I don’t know man, when I’m with her I’m happy. It’s like you and Leslie.” 

“Andy, for the last time, nothing is going on with me and Leslie.” 

“Nah dude, I can tell. You and Leslie have something.” 

Ben stares at his friend, not even caring that he’s getting the shit beat out of him in the game. “You’re kidding right? Leslie’s...she’s not even my type. Tom, help me out.” 

“I don’t know, you do spend a lot of time talking about her.” Tom says, shrugging. 

“No I don’t.” And if he does, it's only because they're friends. People talk about their friends. 

“And you did kiss her.” 

Ben glares at them. “It was truth or dare. It doesn’t count.” 

It doesn't count. If it counted, they wouldn't have been in costume and their friends wouldn't have been staring at them and it certainly wouldn't have over six thousand hits on YouTube, not that Ben's checked. 

Andy and Tom just laugh. “Thy Lady doth protest too much.” He smiles. “Shakespeare.” 

All Ben can do is sit and stare at Andy while Tom rolls on the floor, pointing and calling him, “Lady Benjamina.” 

He really needs to get new friends. * 

Ben doesn't see Leslie until American Government on Monday. He expects awkwardness, but she just smiles at him, sits in her usual spot in front of him next to Ann and spends the rest of the hour arguing with Swanson about the benefits of local government. 

It's almost as if everything is back to normal, except now he doesn't have to wonder what it's like to kiss Leslie Knope, so he should be able to stop wondering and move on with his life. 

"I'm not saying it's perfect, yes there's a lot of corruption and fraud, but at the heart of every government is the desire to help." 

As Leslie would say, crap on a cracker. 

In an effort to avoid Leslie without making it seem like he's avoiding Leslie, Ben throws himself full force into his clubs and school work. Only problem is Leslie's in most of his clubs except for Board Again, his board game club. But no, Leslie is everywhere. Math team, Debate, Model UN, Student Council, and she's right next door so really he has no levity from her. 

Still, she doesn't seem too interested in talking to him either, at least not about anything that doesn't have to do with school. 

And really it shouldn't bother him, but it does. It bothers him a lot. 

He just isn't really sure why. 

His avoidance, if he can even call it that, lasts until Friday night at Tom's. 

“Why are we listening to this?” 

“What’s wrong with it?” Leslie asks, holding out her hands so Donna could apply pink polish to her nails. 

“Nothing.” Ben says pressing A as hard as he could so he could shoot another zombie. 

“You know the compromise. We take turns every week choosing what we watch and what music we listen to. Otherwise-” 

“Otherwise we risk recreating the great Ann vs Donna music feud of 2008.” Everyone in the room says in unison. 

Leslie grins. “Exactly.” 

“Okay.” Ben shrugs. “I was just asking.” Four seconds later, he drops his controller onto the floor. “Yo-Yo Ma?” 

“What? He’s a brilliant cellist.” 

“Here we go again,” Tom fake whispers to Andy and April. Ben ignores him. 

“He’s great. But correct me if I’m wrong, we are seventeen right?” 

“I’m fifteen,” April interjects. 

“Case in point. We’re young, right? We’re not living in a nursing home?” 

Leslie tilts her head, raising an eyebrow. “I don’t know, that depends on whether or not you ever plan on dressing like you’re not about to yell at some kid to get off your lawn. Oh wait, you did that last week!” 

“He was riding his bike on our front lawn!” 

“He called him a hooligan.” Leslie tells their friends. “My mom thought it was adorable.” 

Ben puts his face on his hands, wondering what crime in a past life he committed that deemed the punishment should be knowing Leslie Knope. 

“They argue like this all the time,” Ann says to April. 

“Don’t talk to me.” 

Andy picks April up, placing her in his lap. “Awww, I love it when you’re mean, baby.” Ben looks away as they start to make out. 

“Fine,” Leslie sighs, “if you want to change the music you can.” 

“Oh! I have a new recording of some Tibetan throat singing on my iPod!” Chris says. “You’re all going to love it.” 

“I vote we stick with Jo-Jo!” 

“Yo-Yo,” Leslie corrects Tom. 

“Don’t care, just as long as we don’t have listen to Chris’ thing. No offense, man, but your music always sounds like it’s from a movie about a monk about to kill himself.” 

“It is!” Chris says, earning him a roomful of incredulous faces. 

The night wears on, and eventually the music’s replaced with Tom’s choice for the night’s movie, _Hitch_ which Tom quotes word for word until they all yell at him to shut up. Eventually Ben looks at his watch and sees it’s near eleven. “I’m going home.” 

“Me too,” Leslie says, stretching her arms to reveal the skin right above her jeans as she gets up. “Do you mind?” 

“Sure.” He waits while she whispers something in Ann’s ear, and then follows her to the door. 

“Are you two going to go make out?” 

Ben’s never seen anyone turn around as fast as Leslie does. “What?" she asks April, shooting a panicked look at Ann who shakes her head frantically. 

“Leslie, everyone saw it,” Donna says, her eyes darting from Ben to Leslie. 

“Yeah, you practically devoured Ben’s face,” Tom adds. 

Ben watches Leslie’s face as the fear fell, replaced with a nervous smile. “Oh right! I wouldn’t say I devoured his face.” 

“It looked like one of those face hugger things from _Alien._ " April says. 

“I will have you know that I am an excellent kisser. Tell her, Ben.” 

Ben sighs. “As much as I love having this conversation, which is none by the way, I really have to get home. Are you coming, Leslie or do you want to stay and defend your kissing technique?” 

She lets out a petulant breath. “I’m coming. Bye guys.” 

Ben raises his hand in a half hearted wave and closes the door behind them. He unlocks Leslie’s door first and then gets inside counting to five in his head. 

“I’m a good kisser, right?” 

“There we go,” Ben says to himself. “I don’t-” 

“You would tell me right? You’d say Leslie, you kiss like Voldemort." 

“Voldemort's a bad kisser?” 

“I highly suspect so.” 

Ben can’t help but smile, but it falls when he notices the distant look in her eye. "What?" 

"Is that why they leave me?" 

Oh. He should have known that's what this was about. "Leslie. The guys you date dump you because they're dicks. It has nothing to do with you. I swear. And it definitely has nothing to do with your kissing, believe me." 

"So I'm not bad?" Her tone's hopeful, but still unsure. 

“Leslie, you’re a fine kisser. Honestly I haven’t even thought it.” It was a lie, of course. He really can’t stop thinking about it. 

“About how I kiss?” 

“The kiss itself.” 

“Oh.” 

“So yeah, don’t worry about it. It was nothing.” 

She crosses her arms over her chest. ”I wouldn’t call it nothing.” 

Ben rolls his eyes. He really should have known he wouldn’t win. But knowing Leslie will obsess about this until he gives her a straight answer, he pulls into JJ’s parking lot, puts his car into park and turns to her. 

“This doesn’t leave this car.” 

“Okay.” She holds out her pinky which he hooks with his. “Wait, can I tell Ann?” 

“No.” She's probably going to tell her anyway. 

“Fine.” 

“You’re a good kisser. Really. I wouldn’t lie to you. So can we just let it go, please?” 

A slow, satisfied smile crosses Leslie’s face. “You’re good too.” 

“Thanks,” Ben says, blushing slightly at the compliment. She leans over and kisses his cheek, uttering another thank you before sitting back in her seat. 

He clenches his fingers around his steering wheel, unable to move. 

“You can go, Ben.” 

Ben can’t find a reason to ignore Leslie’s request. After all his curfew was in less than five minutes, but he’s on autopilot, pressing his lips against hers before he can even think of the millions of reasons it's a bad idea. Threading his fingers through her soft blonde hair, he slides his lips across hers. It’s soft and slow and it breaks Ben in ways he doesn’t even know possible. 

The moments pass and he wants to kiss her again, but his phone rings, interrupting the moment. "Sorry mom," he says into the phone, "I just had to stop for gas, I'm on my way now." He hangs up and looks over at Leslie. "Um-" 

"It's okay," she says, "let's go home." * 

Ben's favorite class by far was History, taught by Dr. Hotate, chief of the Wamapoke tribe and owner of the Wamapoke Casino. Unlike the other teachers at Pawnee Central who taught History from a white man's perspective, Dr. Hotate taught from the perspective of the disenfranchised and his lectures were engaging and interesting. 

But all of Ben's good feelings toward the man disappear when he assigns Leslie to be his partner to make a diorama. 

And sure she flashes him a smile and says, "Yay!" but he knows what she's thinking. 

Things are weird. 

It's one thing to kiss because of a dare, but to kiss because he wanted to, well that was crossing a line and if that line was the Indiana and Illinois border, Ben was somewhere in China. 

"I think I have most of the stuff at my house if you want to come over after school, we can get started?" 

"Um, sure," Ben agrees, even though the thought of being alone in Leslie's house with her makes his stomach twist into knots. 

He's so out of it that he doesn't even realize someone is grabbing his collar and pulling him into an all too familiar closet until he's being pushed up against a shelf containing cleaning chemicals and Cindy's mouth is on his, her lips smooth and tongue probing. 

He pushes her away. 

"What are you doing?" 

"I've missed you." She says it with a pout; her fingers trailing down Ben's chest, a move that would have at one time made him shiver but gains no reaction now. 

"No." 

"Oh come on-" her eyes roll- "is this because of what I said about Kelsey? 

Ben looks at her, taking in the way her soft brown hair cascades on her shoulders and her ample cleavage underneath the tank top she has on under her unbuttoned long sleeve shirt, but even though he can appreciate that she's hot, he isn't attracted to her. "Leslie," Ben corrects a little louder than he should. "Her name is Leslie," Ben says, softer but no less firm. "and yeah, it is." He pushes away from her to get to the door. "I'll see you around," he says, opening the door only to come face to face with Leslie and Ann. 

One looks furious, the other crushed. He barely registers Ann though, his entire being focused on the look on Leslie's face. He's seen it so many times before, it's the one he sees whenever a guy is a dick to her, but he never thought he would be the one to put it there. 

"This isn't-" he starts to say not what it looks like, but Leslie raises her hand and for a second he thinks she's going to slap him, but it just hangs in the air for a moment before she turns on her feet and runs away. 

"Ann-" he starts, but she simply glares at him and chases after Leslie. 

The next day she declares war on him during Model U.N. 

**July 2008**

"Benjamin Louis Wyatt!" A shrill voice yells up the stairs and Ben cringes. He looks at his window, wondering if he should try to make a break for it, but it's too late, small but powerful feet are already stomping up the stairs and running away won't do him much good anyway. She would only find him. 

"Hey, Leslie," he says as she barges into his room. He really needs to talk to his family about their open door policy. 

"Don't hey, Leslie me!" She shouts and Ben darts his eyes at the door. She's tiny, he can pick her up and move her out of the way. "You're dating Lindsay Carlisle Shay?" 

"I'm not dating her," Ben rolls his eyes, "We just hung out at the mall in Eagleton and I bought her a froyo." 

Leslie shoves her phone in his face and he recoils at the selfie Lindsay took of them kissing in front of the carousel. "DATE!" 

"Okay, yeah, it was a date." Ben steps back so she can't hit him. Really it was terrible, she kept calling him Dan and insulted Pawnee the whole time. She wasn't even a good kisser. There's no way he's going to give Leslie the satisfaction though. He shrugs. "We're actually going out this Friday." 

"We're going to see _The Dark Knight_ Friday." 

"Yeah, I think I'm gonna see it with her instead." 

Leslie's face scrunches and turns a brilliant shade of crimson. "No." 

"No? You can't tell me what to do, Leslie. If I want to see Lindsay, I will." He actually has no intention of seeing her again. They didn't even exchange numbers. * 

Ben's method of dealing with Leslie's outrage over his date with Lindsay is to go over to Andy's and smoke a bowl with him and two of his brothers. 

"Fuck she can tell me who I can and can't see? She doesn't own me." He coughs, passing the pipe to Aaron. Or is it Alan? Whatever, it doesn't matter. "And hating someone just 'cause she's from Eagleton? Hey guess what, Ms. Knope, that makes you the snob, not her." 

"You've been complaining about this chick for an hour dude," says Alex? Avery? Adam? As he hands the pipe and lighter back to Ben. "Maybe you should bang her and move on." 

Ben nearly chokes. "Dude, that's gross. Andy, tell him how gross it is." 

"I think you should do it." 

"Dude." 

Andy just shrugs though, smiling. "What? You clearly like her." 

"No I don't. I just want her to shut up about me making out with Lindsay Carlisle Shay." 

Andy spits out his coke. "You did what?" 

Ben wipes the sticky soda off his face. "Really?" 

"You made out with Lindsay Carlisle Shay? Oh god this is bad. You're gonna have to do something big if you want Leslie to forgive you. You're lucky you're not dead right now. Okay, let's think, what can you do. I know! Write her a song!" 

"Again," Ben says, staring at Andy, "What?" 

It's not until he asks Donna about it later that he gets the whole Lindsay story. When she tells him they were best friends before Lindsay moved to Eagleton and changed, Ben feels like an ass. 

It takes about six trips to JJ's to make her forgive him. 

Ben goes to Leslie's house that afternoon armed with a candy bouquet and every book he could find at the library that has anything to do with the wedding at Turnbill Mansion. Leslie swings the door open, glaring. 

"I came with candy." 

Her eyes narrow as she inspects the bucket. "You made out with Cindy." 

Oh. They're going to do this here? Wow. Okay. "No, I didn't. She wanted to but I told her no." 

Leslie's arms stay crossed though. "Why was your shirt unbuttoned?" 

Ben blinks and looks down at his shirt to see the first three buttons are undone. He recalls his moment alone with Cindy and can't remember her doing it. "I don't know. It wasn't her. I swear. I must have done it without realizing it. Leslie you know…" 

"Know what?" Her expression is still hard, but her voice is softer. 

"That I wouldn't make out with her." Not after what happened the last time. "You have to believe me." 

She snatches the candy out of his hand. "I'll think about it." 

And the door closes in his face. 

Ben spends Thanksgiving break in Minnesota with his dad. He hides in the room he shares with Henry to get away from his dad's never ending criticism, sending messages to Leslie that go unanswered until he's called down to dinner. 

He's pretty sure turkey isn't supposed to be black on the outside. When his dad begins to carve the bird, instead of tender white meat, there's nothing but raw meat. 

"Is it supposed to look like that?" Stephanie whispers. 

"Don't eat that." Henry whispers back before smiling at his dad's girlfriend. Ben's pretty sure Ulani's old enough to be dating Henry. 

"I think it's really rude none of you are eating." 

"It's terrible," their dad agrees, "just like Julia." 

"I'm gonna go to Pete's," Henry says, walking over to the closet to get his coat. 

"I'm coming with you," Ben pushes his plate of burned turkey and soggy stuffing away and follows his brother to the door. 

It's Henry who asks, "You coming or what, Steph?" 

She doesn't need to be asked twice. 

"So, Steph, how's things?" Henry asks, biting into his sausage and mushroom pizza. "You doing okay in school?" 

"Yep," she answers, stirring her fettucini around her fork. "I got an A on my science project." 

"Cool, cool. Any fellas?" 

Ben takes a bite of his calzone while he listens to Stephanie and Henry talk about the boys in her class. He waits for Henry to take up the big brother card and tell her not to date, but he just says, "be sure to use protection." 

Ben's fork lands on his plate with a loud clang. "Really? That's what you're going to say to her?" He looks at Stephanie. "Wait until you're married." 

"Yeah, sis." Henry smirks. "Wait until you're married!" The two of them look at Ben and start laughing. "It's no wonder you can't get Neighbor Girl." 

"I'm not trying to get her." 

Stephanie reaches into her purse and pulls out her phone. A few minutes later, she shows Henry the video of Ben and Leslie kissing on Halloween. 

"It was a dare," he says, but neither of them listen. 

"Hmm," Henry says, with a thoughtful nod, "Neighbor Girl's got some moves. Maybe I should-" 

"Don't even think about it." 

Henry just smiles. 

He spends the rest of his time in Partridge hanging out with his friend Jack, who presents him with a case of beer and Mass Effect 2. 

It's not until the next morning when he wakes up on Jack's dirty floor with a pounding headache and his hand inside a bowl of cheese popcorn that he remembers calling Leslie. 

He scrambles to find his phone, hidden underneath one of Jack's dirty tee shirts and checks his messages. There are a lot from him to Leslie, each more garbled and incoherent than the last, but only one from Leslie to him. 

_Stop it. She'll talk to you when she's ready-Ann._

He drops his phone and holds his head in his hands. Fuck. * 

It's two in the afternoon when Ben gets home. 

Leslie's house is dark. 

He thinks about going to look for her, but then he remembers Ann's words and watches old Wallace and Gromit shorts instead. 

He's taking out the trash when Ann drops Leslie off. He watches as she walks into her house without so much as a glance in his direction. Ann looks at him as she drives away, shaking her head. 

Ben slams the lid shut. 

Leslie doesn’t talk to him at school, but she does stare at him during lunch like she's trying to figure something out, and that's a step he guesses. When she gets up to go to class, Ann stays behind, crossing her arms on the table. Ben tries to pretend he's more interested in his sandwich, but all he can do is pick it apart because the thought of actually eating it makes him ill. Ann just keeps her gaze steady on him though, until Ben relents and looks at her. She stands and makes a motion for him to follow her. He does, throwing his trash out on his way. He follows her until she reaches the girl's restroom. 

"Wait here." 

He nods and tries not to feel like an idiot standing in the hallway while people walk by him. She pokes her head out. "It's safe. Come in." 

"Really?" 

"Get in here." 

He hurries inside and immediately takes note of the graffiti on the walls. "Chris Traeger has a tiny dick?" 

"It was after we broke up," she shrugs, leaning against a sink. 

"Does he?" 

Ann gives him a short look that makes Ben shake his head. 

"Right. Sorry. So uh, what are we doing here? Are you going to murder me?" 

Ann rolls her eyes. "Leslie's right, you are high strung. Have you tried yoga? I think it could really be beneficial-" 

"Thanks, nurse." 

Ann actually smiles at this. "Why did you do it?" 

Ben rubs his hands over his face. "Good lord, how many times do I have to say nothing happened?" 

"Not that." 

"Then what?" He's at the end of his rope here. 

"You've been stringing Leslie along for months!" 

Ben can only blink rapidly while his brain tries to make sense of what Ann's saying. "What?" 

She just crosses her arms over her chest. "I know about the kiss." 

"So does everyone else!" 

"Not that kiss! The other one. The one in the parking lot of JJ's." 

Ben falls back onto the wall, feeling like he's been hit with a grenade. He should have known Leslie would tell Ann. "Oh." It's on the tip of his tongue to explain why he kissed Leslie that night, but it's clear from Ann's expression she doesn't care. "How is she?" 

"You know how she is." 

Ben looks down again at the weird stain that reminds him of his great uncle Barry, weird mole on his cheek and all. "This restroom is filthy." 

"Yeah, no one uses it." 

He closes his eyes and laughs. "Yeah." 

"Look," she says as they leave the restroom, thankfully no one is near to wonder why Ben's in there, "I'm saying this as your friend. You need to cut the crap and admit you want to be with her." 

"I can't do that." 

"Why not?" 

Ben looks around, unable to find the right words that will describe his fears concerning his relationship with Leslie. He shakes his head and she rolls her eyes and walks away, leaving Ben alone as the bell rings. * 

Leslie shows up at his door the next afternoon with a canvas bag of craft supplies. "We have to do our history project." 

"Yeah, okay." He lets her inside, closing the door behind her. "We can do it in the kitchen if you want." 

"That's fine." He follows her into the kitchen and watches as she takes everything out of the bag. "Um, do you want something to drink?" 

"Hot cocoa if you have it." 

"I'll look." While he looks for the cocoa mix Leslie sets up the box for the diorama. "I can't find it. I can run to the store-" 

"Sit down." 

"Okay." He quickly sits down in his chair and looks at the paper figures. "Did you do these?" 

"Yeah." 

He picks up a guy holding a musket and laughs. "They're great." 

"Thank you." 

Ben nods, setting the figure down. "Leslie, I-" 

"Don't. Not now, okay? Let's just do this. " 

Ben swallows down the need to explain, to tell her the truth, to make her understand and instead follows her instructions as they work on the diorama. He mostly watches her though, taking in the way her hair falls in her face and the steady look of concentration she has while she carefully glues each person, animal and tree where she thinks it should go. Occasionally she'll tell him where to put something, adding a, "be careful." 

When she leans over him to place a bloodied Wamapoke, he catches a whiff of her perfume and recalls the moment not so long ago when she threatened him over the school elections and his arousal then. 

The same arousal he's feeling right now. 

"Uh hey-" He shifts in his chair, willing his dick to stop being so interested- "you uh serious about the Qudditch thing?" 

"Yeah, why?" She finally leans back and he breathes a sigh of relief. 

"I think we should do it." 

A smile creeps up on Leslie's face. "Yeah?" 

"Yeah. I mean sure. It'd be fun." Ben wipes his palms on his jeans. Is it hot in here or is it just him? 

"Okay. I'll bring it up at the next student council meeting." 

Ben grins back. "I'll second it. So uh, aren't we supposed to write a paper too?" 

"I did it already." When he looks at her she shrugs. "I couldn't sleep." 

"Oh." Ben supposes that makes sense. 

"I'm sorry. I think there's some room in it if you want to add anything." 

"No, it's cool. I'm sure it's great. I trust you." 

Leslie sets down her glue stick. "I think this is done." 

He looks down at the paper bloodbath surrounding the infamous gazebo and laughs. 

She sighs. "We should let this dry before we try to move it. Is it okay here?" 

"It should be," Ben says, "I'll put in my car when it's dry." 

Leslie nods, standing up. He follows her to the front door, sticking his hands in his pockets while she opens the front door. She pauses though, her hand still on the doorknob. He waits, wondering if she's going to say something, but she just walks out, closing the door behind her. * * 

"It's your turn." 

Ben moves his bishop, taking one of Chris' pawns and leans back in his chair. "When you and Mille broke up, how were you?" 

"You know how I was," Chris answers, moving a pawn and Ben has to nod, he does remember. Chris cried on his shoulder for over an hour. It was one of the most uncomfortable moments of his life, second only to his dad giving him the sex talk on his twelfth birthday and that was more terrifying than anything else. 

"Yeah, but were you sad because you missed her or was it the situation itself that was sad?" 

Chris frowns, seeming to think it over while Ben moves his only knight. "The second one." 

"What about Ann? You seemed okay when you broke up with her and you were with her longer than Millicent Gergich." 

"I was," Chris admits, "But I didn't know what Ann meant to me at then." 

"But you do now?" 

Chris smiles, soft but honest. "I do. Checkmate." 

Ben looks down at the board, studying it for a minute before congratulating Chris on his victory. He thinks about telling Chris about the graffiti in the girls' restroom but decides better of it, because he doesn't want Chris to think he's actually curious about the size of his member. 

Also Chris would probably take it as an invitation to discuss healthy urethras and that's not something Ben can handle today. 

"Want to play again?" 

Ben looks at the clock. There's still twenty minutes left in class. "Yeah, sure." 

"This is very good, Leslie," Dr. Hotate says, looking into the diorama. "Although I believe that rock was four feet to the left." 

"What?" Leslie's about to reach into the box to move the rock when he laughs and winks. 

"It's very good. Did you do most of the work yourself?" 

"Ben helped." 

"I glued things." 

Dr. Hotate nods, his expression solemn apart from the slight tilt of his mouth. "A plus for you, Leslie, and what the hell, I'm feeling generous, A for you too, Wyatt." 

"Thanks." 

Ben steps out of the way to allow the next group of students present their diorama to Dr. Hotate. Leslie picks theirs up and carries it back to their table. "So. Good job." 

Ben expects a smile or a thank you at the most, so when Leslie hugs him it comes as a shock. It doesn't last very long, a moment at the most, but holding her feels good. It feels right. 

Oh. 

Ben slowly sits down when she lets go. He finds himself staring at her while she writes down the answers to the discussion questions in her book. * 

"7!" Garth claps his hands together. "You know that that means!" 

Ben holds up his cards for Garth to steal one of his resources, hoping he doesn't take his wood. His mind isn't on the game though, but on Leslie. She'd left right after class, taking their diorama with her, so Ben's not sure if the hug's a sign of forgiveness or not. What he does know though is he'd do anything short of murder to get her to talk to him again. 

"Damn it," Garth throws the card down, "I don't need sheep." 

Ben shrugs and rolls the dice, building more of his road. 

"Oh hey, I have a question," Garth says, using his monopoly development card to take Ben's ore, "you're friends with Leslie, right?" 

"Yeah? You got any wool for grain?" 

"You know if she's seeing anyone?" Garth hands him the wool, taking Ben's grain out of his fingers. 

"No." 

"She's not?" 

"No, I don't know if she's seeing anyone. She isn't talking to me right now." 

"Oh, you think she'd go out with me?" 

Ben stomach lurches at the thought and he can't make himself say his usual, you'd have to ask her. "I don't know. Now come on, it's your turn." * 

Mrs. Dwyer opens the door when Ben arrives at Andy’s Saturday afternoon. 

“Hello, Benjamin.” She eyes him, shaking her head. “Come in. Andy’s in his room. Do you want something to eat? You’re way too skinny.” She grabs his bicep. “There’s nothing there. I’m going to make you a snack.” 

“I’m okay, Mrs. Dwyer.” 

“Nonsense. I’m going to make you something. Do you like meatloaf? I’ll make you a meatloaf.” 

Ben opens his mouth to protest but Mrs. Dwyer's already heading into the kitchen and history's taught him there's no use in arguing with her. 

Andy's throwing Cheetos up in the air trying to catch them with his mouth as Ben walks into his room. “Dude, watch. I’m getting really good.” He throws another up high and leaps up to catch it. “See?” He gives Ben a neon orange smile. 

“I’m proud of you,” Ben says, taking a seat on a clear space on the floor. “Oh by the way, your mom's making meatloaf. Again.” 

“Well you are pretty scrawny.” 

“I am not.” Ben says while he rolls his eyes. “It’s just my body type.” 

“Whatever, dude, mom’s meatloaf is the best. I’ll eat it if you don’t.” 

Ben's already figured that out, so he grins back. “Yeah.” 

“Oh, dude, April bought me the coolest video game. You’re a cold war spy and you have to kill as many Russians as you can.” 

Ben takes the controller Andy offers him and they get down to business, taking turns killing Russians and solving spy code until Mrs. Dwyer comes to tell them the meat loaf's done. 

Ben has to admit, her meatloaf was really good. She puts green peppers in it, giving it a slight kick that he likes. When he finishes he waits for Andy to eat his and a good chunk of the rest. 

“So what happened with you and Leslie?” Andy asks after they go back to his room. 

“Let’s not talk about Leslie, okay?” His turns a corner, shooting another bad guy in the chest before digging through his pockets for intel. “You want it?” 

“Nah, man, keep going.” Andy leans against his bed, pulling out his cell to look at the time. “Damn, I got band practice in an hour.” 

“That’s cool. So uh, I’ve got a question for you. Say your favorite breakfast food is French Toast.” 

“My favorite breakfast food is turkey chilli.” 

“Okay. Turkey chilli. And you really like turkey chilli. You’d eat turkey chilli all day and night if you could, but then you start getting a craving for waffles and then you taste one and now you can't stop craving them. The waffles." 

“Waffles?” 

“Yeah.” 

“Dude, waffles are the best.” 

Ben sighs and stops the game, setting the controller down. “Yeah, I know.” Waffles are the best. He could do a lot worse. And maybe that's the problem. It's not that he doesn't like waffles, it's that he does. 

"Wanna play Mario Kart until I gotta go?" 

"Hell yeah." * 

"Here's the deal," Leslie says, barging into his room that night while he's writing his _Star Trek: The Next Generation_ fanfic. He stops mid sentence and spins around in his chair to look at her. "Ann says I should cut my losses with you and run but you're the most important person in my life and I miss you like crazy but it really sucks when the guy you're in love with comes out of a closet looking all debauched with another girl and I even asked Cindy about it but she just laughed in my face and walked away so the way I see it I can either get over it and forgive you for whatever you did or didn't do but it's hard because-" she pauses, closing her eyes tight. 

Ben tries to listen, really he does, but his brain gets stuck on the part where she's said she's in love with him. "You're in love with me?" 

Her eyes grow wide and she frantically shakes her head. "What? I didn't say that. Hey is that a new sweater? Where did you get it?" 

"The Gap. You're in love with me?" Ben's glad he's already sitting, because he's suddenly very dizzy. 

She closes her eyes, clenching her fists. "Crap on a cookie. I didn't mean to say that. Look, we need to, I need to go, yeah, I need to go, I forgive you, fight's over, let's forget this ever happened. See you later!" 

Leslie starts to the door but Ben's mouth shouts, "stop!" before his brain can even catch up. She stills, her hand only an inch away from the doorknob. 

"Come here." 

Leslie turns around, eyes lowered and suspicious. "Why?" 

"Please," he reaches his hand out, "just come here." 

Leslie takes a step toward him, and then another until finally she's standing between his legs. He places his hands on her sweater and clutches the soft scarlet fabric. He raises his head, his eyes meeting hers. 

There's a moment of silence between them, when all Ben can hear is his heart pounding against his chest and Michael Stipe's voice coming out his computer's speakers, and he's still leaning against Leslie, counting each inhale and exhale while he draws lines on her back and her fingernails lightly scratch his neck. 

"You don't have to say it back," she says her voice a bare whisper. "And I'm really sorry if it makes you uncomfortable and if you don't ever want to talk-" He pulls her down, unable to listen any longer. He knows what she's going to say too, and there's no need. It might have taken Ben's brain to catch up to what his heart (and family and friends) already seemed to know, but now there's no denying it. 

He is one hundred percent crazy in love with Leslie Knope. It's not a sudden realization, it doesn't feel like a great shock, but at the same time Ben does feel like an idiot because he's pretty sure being in love is something he should have been aware of. 

Because he's always believed actions speak louder than words, Ben tells her this by threading his fingers through her hair and cupping her face, pulling her lips with his and mapping her mouth with his tongue. 

When they pull away, she rests her forehead against his and giggles. "So, is that a phone in your pocket or-" 

"I'm really happy to see you," Ben finishes with a growl, kissing her again, harder and insistent. How he ever thought he didn't want to do this will be a mystery for the ages. She does this thing with her tongue that makes his eyes roll back in his head and when she grinds down on him, all he can think is that he wants more. He kisses and nips his way down her neck, runs his hands up and down her back and her front, grazing the sides of her breasts. She pulls back and takes off her sweater. 

"I'm hot." 

He nods and lifts his own sweater over his head too. "Me too." 

"Ben!" Stephanie's voice calls up from the stairs. "Mom wants you!" 

Ben groans in protest as she slides off his lap. "How do I look?" 

Honestly she looks like she's just been thoroughly kissed, but he just stands up and kisses her again, light and quick. "Might want to brush your hair." 

She smiles and straightens out his shirt before pushing him away. "Okay, go." 

Ben feels like he's floating when he goes to talk to his mom. She's in her studio, sketching on a new canvas. 

"You wanted me?" 

"I'm going to a gallery opening tonight so you and your sister are on your own. I left money for a pizza on the TV." 

"Oh, okay." 

She frowns at him. "Are you okay?" 

No. His heart won't stop doing flips. "I'm good. Money on the TV. Got it." He walks backwards out of the room and into the living room where Stephanie's watching TV. "It's us tonight." 

"No it isn't," Stephanie says, flipping the channel, "I'm going out tonight." She stands and puts her hands on his shoulders. "On a date." 

"Aren't you a little young to date?" 

"I'm fifteen, which is the same age you were so you can take your patriarchal bullshit and shove it up your ass." 

Ben narrows his eyes, crossing his arms around his chest. "You sound like Leslie." 

"I know, she's the one who told me to say that if you got all you." 

"Ugh," Ben knows he really has no choice here. "Fine. I guess I'll just eat pizza and watch Star Wars by myself." 

Stephanie shrugs, pats his arm and says, "Yep." She moves around him to up to her room, presumably to get ready for her date when she turns back around. "By the way, you have lipstick on your neck." 

Leslie's flipping through a Batman comic on his bed when Ben comes back, closing the door behind him. 

"So both mom and Stephanie are going out tonight, you wanna stay over and watch Star Wars with me?" 

"I can't," she says, putting the comic back on his bedside table and standing up. "We're having a girl's night." 

"Oh." He might be pouting, but he doesn't care. 

"Why don't you call the guys?" she asks, wrapping her arms around his neck. 

He pulls her close, placing his hands on the small of her back. "And risk Tom and Jean- Ralphio starting a party? Mom'll kill me." 

Leslie shrugs, her fingers playing with the ends of his hair. "Well, then I guess it's just you tonight." 

"Boo." 

She leans up and kisses him again, a long wet kiss that makes his toes curl. "I'll text you." 

"Will it be dirty?" 

She laughs pushing him away. "Shut up, you perv." 

* 

They're studying for their end of semester finals on his bedroom floor when Ben feels Leslie's hand squeeze his butt and then still, palm resting on his left cheek. "Leslie?" 

"Mm?" 

"Why is your hand on my butt?" 

She doesn't look at him, her eyes glued to her book, but she does smile. He thinks about saying something again, or maybe even moving, but there are probably worse things than Leslie's hand on his butt, but considering how new this thing between them is, it feels weird. 

A good weird though. 

Ben leans in for a quick kiss and returns to his biology textbook but Leslie's closes hers with a snap and the next thing he knows he's being rolled over and he's being ravaged. Wrapping his arms around her, he sighs happily into her kiss forgetting all about cell interiors so he can concentrate on how Leslie tastes like hot chocolate. 

He tries not to be too disappointed when she rolls off him and declares their break over. "Get back to those amoebas, Wyatt." 

"It's cell division." 

"Whatever. Do it." 

He smiles and opens his textbook, the taste of chocolate still on his lips. 

* 

The weeks are a blur of tests, papers and secret make out sessions and before Ben knows it it's Christmas. He takes Leslie out to dinner at the new French restaurant where he makes an idiot of himself trying to pronounce his order and nearly knocks over his water because his hands won't stop shaking. Leslie is unbelievably pretty and he's, well, him. If she had any sense at all she'd realize her mistake and leave. 

Leslie just smiles and rubs her foot against his leg. Ben bites his lower lip and glares at her. 

"Really?" 

She keeps smiling, shrugging her shoulder as she reaches for her water. "You're cute when you're flustered." 

"Hrmm." 

Leslie laughs and leans over to rub his arm, giving Ben view of her cleavage. "Relax." 

"Yeah," he says, shifting in his seat. "That's kind of impossible." 

Her mouth makes a silent "Oh." She sits back, a faint blush on her cheeks but her lips are curled in a smile. 

"So I don't think I'm going to play baseball this spring," he says, just to fill the silence. 

"Yeah?" 

He pokes his fish with his fork. "Yeah. Dad's going to be pissed but I figure school's almost over and who knows maybe I'll play in college but I figure I should concentrate on school and you." He doesn't mean to say the last part, but Leslie's face lights up at the slip up. 

"And me?" 

He feels his face redden and he looks back at his fish as if it's fascinating, feeling Leslie's eyes on him until he gathers his courage and looks up, allowing their gazes to meet. "If that's okay with you." 

She keeps smiling. "It's okay." 

"Do you want to come inside?" 

Ben looks up at Leslie's dark house from his driveway. "Uh, are you sure it's okay?" 

"Yeah, mom's asleep. C'mon, I want to give you your present." The way she says it makes him feel punch drunk. 

They're careful going inside, not wanting to disturb Leslie’s mom as they tiptoe up the stairs to her bedroom. Everything's going fine too, until Ben runs into a table and knocks over a lamp. It doesn't break, but between his yell of indignant pain and the lamp hitting the floor, there's no way Marlene Griggs-Knope is asleep. 

“Oh shit, oh shit, I’m so sorry.” Ben whispers to Leslie. “What do we do? Do I run? I should run.” 

She bursts out laughing, one hand holding her stomach while the other reaches out and grabs the hem of his shirt. “I can’t believe you fell for that.” 

“What?” 

“My mom’s on a date. You’re fine. No need to run.” 

Ben's not sure if he wants to kiss Leslie or strangle her. Both sound like pretty good options. “Really?” 

“Really. Come on,” she says pulling his shirt, “although you might want to pick up that lamp first.” 

“Right.” Ben puts the lamp back and follows Leslie into her room. He takes in the pictures of female politicians on her purple walls, the stacks of color coded binders. Her desk's cluttered with crap that no one in their right mind could possibly need, including three bird feeders and an old newspaper. 

“I’m going to change,” she says, “Will you please turn around?” 

Ben turns and waits, listening to the sound of her zipper coming undone, to her footsteps as she walks around, the dresser drawer being pulled open. He keeps his eyes completely focused on her wall even though she's half naked behind him. 

“Okay.” 

He lets out the breath he’s been holding and turns around to see Leslie in a pair of sweatpants and a Harvest Festival tee shirt. 

His heart begins to beat like a thousand tin drums as she comes close enough that if he wants to, all he has to do is lean down. Instead he erases the gap by folding his arms around her and kissing the top of her head. Her arms circle around his waist and rise up his back until her fingers reached the nape of his neck where they begin to draw lines into his skin. He counteracts by rubbing circles into her back and occasionally kissing her head. She smells like passion fruit and wild flowers and her skin's soft and warm to the touch and no amount of listing his favorite short stops in alphabetical order is going to keep him from getting a hard on. 

She gasps and giggles. "You are happy to see me." 

He grins, closing his mouth over hers. It's the kind of kiss that starts slow, but builds into something stronger. Her lips are pliant and giving, her tongue curious against his as her fingers pull his hair, making his cock jump. Ben shudders with need, pulling at the fabric of her shirt, silently begging her to touch him. 

Leslie, being the super awesome person she is, brushes his length over his jeans. He pulls back, gasping for breath as he rests his chin on top of her head. This is uncharted territory for him; no girl's ever done this to him before. 

"Merry Christmas, Ben," she says with a wry grin, pulling his belt through the hoops of his pants. 

He starts to say Merry Christmas back but her hand grips him and pulls and that's it, this is the best Christmas present he's ever received. 

Except, any minute her mom's going to come home or Ann's going to call or worse, he's going to come on her hand. He doesn't know the protocol for this. Should he offer her a tissue? Did they have tissues? Where did they keep them? How would he know, it's not his house. Should he touch her back? Can he touch her back? If a girls’ hand's down your pants that was a sign she wants to be touched right? He decides to chance it, cupping her breast. He can't speak, can't think. There's just a wave of pleasure going through his body as she kisses him again, her motions gaining confidence until he's gripping her shirt and coming. The kiss slows, her hand stills. “Um.” 

“Yeah.” She takes her hand out of his pants and he stares at the sticky white substance on her hand. “I better clean this off.” 

His head gently hits her wall. Best Christmas ever. 

They tell their friends the next day while exchanging presents at Ann's house. Ben's wearing the awful snowman sweater Chris got him and drinking store bought eggnog sans booze because he's beyond whipped by a girl who barely comes up to his chin. 

"We have an announcement," Leslie says, cupping her hand over Ben's. "We're dating." 

"Yeah we know," Tom says, sniffing the vanilla bean scented candle Ann got him. "Thanks, Cupcake!" 

"No problem." 

"What do you mean, you already know?" Leslie asks. "There's no way you can know. We just started dating." 

"Les'"- Ben laces his fingers between hers- "they've been saying we're dating for months, remember?" 

"Years," Tom corrects them, putting on the kangol hat from Donna, pausing to take a picture of himself with his phone. "You've guys have been doing it for years." 

Ben shares a look with Leslie, silently agreeing with her annoyance. "No," he says, "now. like just before school ended." 

"And we have not been doing it for years." 

"We're not even doing it now." That actually gets the attention of their friends and Leslie, who raises her eyebrows. "Not that I care or am trying to pressure you. We'll do, you know, when you're ready. When we're both ready. Speaking of ready I think I'm ready for another one of these," he holds up his still half full glass and begins to stand up only to be pulled back down. 

"You're a disaster." She says it with such warmth and affection though he has to lean in for a kiss that only stops when April tells them they're being gross. 

After presents are opened, Ann puts in _Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer_ after much debate over what they should watch. Andy wanted _Die Hard_ but was vetoed by Leslie and Ann, both who claimed it wasn't Christmasy enough. 

"It takes place during Christmas!" 

"I have a movie we can watch," Chris says. 

"Does it have subtitles?" Tom asks. 

"Yes." 

"Then no." 

Chris pouts for a moment but then his smile returns. "What do you suggest then, Tom." 

"No"- Ann holds up her hands-"Tom'll make us watch some awful Paul Walker movie and I cannot handle that right now. Let's just watch _Rudolph._ " She puts it in, glaring at Tom when he starts to protest. 

Ben's fine watching _Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer_ because he feels a kinship with Hermey and Rudolph and Clarice reminds him of Leslie, who sits between his legs and leans against his chest and smells like snickerdoodles. 

Halfway through, Ben happens to glance in Andy's direction. Andy smiles back, a soft, 'told you' that Ben concedes with a nod before turning his attention back to the movie. 

Eventually the movie ends and everyone begins getting up, stretching their tired arms and gathering their gifts to take home. 

"We on for the mall tomorrow, Wyatt?" Donna asks. 

Ben nods. "Sure. I need new socks." 

Tom rolls his eyes. "Leslie, do something about him." 

She just smiles and shrugs. "What can I do? He likes socks." 

"I like you," Ben says leaning down to kiss her. * 

The next day he goes to the mall with Donna as promised. He tries to listen to Donna while she talks about some book she's reading, but he's too distracted. 

"What?" he asks when she stops talking to stare him down. 

She rolls her eyes. "Ugh. Come on, we're going to Pinkberry." She pushes him in the direction of the food court. "Move it." 

"Okay," she says awhile later when they're sitting down with their cups of frozen yogurt, "out with it." 

Ben stirs his chocolate frozen yogurt around with his spoon. He knows Donna's not going to give up until he says what's bothering him and she's probably the best person to ask about this particular subject. "I don't know how to please Leslie." He hopes he doesn't have to say what he means. 

Donna's eyebrows rise. "You've never pleased a girl?" 

Ben feels his skin heat up as he shakes his head. "No." 

"Never? What about Eckert?" 

Ben shakes his head. "She uh, did everything." 

Donna hums, taking a bite of hers. 

"Look, I don't need a diagram or anything, I just need to know what to do to make her happy. Actually a diagram would be helpful. Do you have any paper?" 

Donna rolls her eyes. "Let me finish this and then I'll tell you everything you need to know." 

Ben nods, smiling despite his embarrassment. "Cool." 

It's only when they're done and their cups have been tossed in the trash that Donna takes out a tiny notebook out of her purse and a pen. She draws a stick figure of a woman. 

"Oh, is this going to be like the episode of _Friends_ where Monica teaches Chandler about the erogenous zones?" 

Donna narrows her eyes but ignores his question. "These are the areas of a woman that bring pleasure-" 

"Oh it is!" 

She closes the notebook. "Alright, tell me what they are if you know." 

"Um.." the episode never actually said what they were, just that there were seven. "Seven?" 

"Seriously?" Donna shakes her head, dismayed. "Now listen, I don't want Leslie to be disappointed because you can't get it done." 

As soon as Ben gets home, he takes a shower, changes into the new tee shirt he bought that Donna said made his arms look good and then he heads over to Leslie's. 

Her mom answers the door. 

"Hi, Mrs. Griggs-Knope. Is Leslie here?" He smiles nervously at her when she continues looking at him, not answering his question. "Did you see today's Calvin and Hobbes? I get them every day in my email. I don't know if you do that or if you just read them in the paper. Do they still put them in the paper? Do you get the paper? I feel like I should know that-" 

"Leslie says you're dating now." 

Ben breathes a sigh of relief at finally being interrupted. "Uh, yeah. I hope that's okay." 

Her lips curl upwards and she shrugs. "It was a matter of time, anyway." She walks away, probably to get Leslie and Ben can only stare at her retrieving back, wondering why everyone keeps saying that. 

**August 2005:**

Ben's unpacking pictures in the living room when the doorbell rings. 

"Someone get that!" Julia shouts from somewhere in the house. 

"I got it," Ben shouts back, walking to the front door. He opens it to see a pretty girl with blonde pig tails and bright blue eyes holding a plate of cookies. 

"Hi, I'm Leslie Knope, your neighbor. I made you some welcome to the neighborhood cookies." 

"Um," Ben's not sure what to say, no one in Partridge would have ever made cookies for their new neighbors. "Thanks?" He takes the plate, looking at the assortment of cookies. "This is a lot." 

"Yeah, I wasn't sure what kind you would like so I got carried away." She narrows her eyes. "Wait, you're not one of those families that don't eat sugar are you?" She says it like not liking sugar is a crime punishable by death. 

"No?" 

Leslie smiles, seemingly satisfied by his answer. "You haven't told me your name." 

"His name is Ben," Henry says, coming up behind Ben and taking the plate of cookies out of his hand. "I'm his older and better looking brother, Henry." 

Ben rolls his eyes. "Older maybe." 

"I'm Leslie," she says, smiling at Henry, "Leslie Knope." 

"Yeah, you're the neighbor girl." Henry winks at her and walks back into the house. 

"Don't eat all of those!" Ben yells at him. "He's going to eat all of those," he tells Leslie. 

"I can make more." She laughs and Ben finds himself smiling back. 

**Now:**

"Ben!" 

He looks up at Leslie's voice saying his name and smiles when he sees her at the top of her stairs. He waves. "Hey." 

"Are you going to stand there all day or are you going to come up here?" 

Ben steps into her house and looks over at where Marlene is working on their couch while listening to Bill Withers. He closes the door and starts up the stairs to Leslie who's waiting with her arms crossed and foot tapping at the top for him. 

He's halfway up when Marlene calls out,"Be safe and wear a condom!" 

He trips over his feet falling on his face. At least the stairs are carpeted. When he looks up, Leslie's kneeling down and he can tell she's trying not to laugh at him. 

"Need help?" 

"I got it," he says, pushing himself up and conquering the stairs, because he, like Donkey, is the stair master. 

And also, he just really wants to make out with his girlfriend and put some the skills Donna taught him to good use. 

At least he hopes so. 

They're barely inside her room when she grabs his shirt and pulls him down, kissing him so hard it makes him lose his balance for a moment until he wraps his arms around her to steady himself. When they pull away, he stares down at her kiss bruised lips and kisses them again, slow and soft. 

She sighs against him and then pulls away. "Bed." 

"So," he says when he lands on her pink comforter and is immediately straddled by Leslie, who tears her shirt off and tosses it behind her. "What are we doing?" 

"What do you want to do?" 

He can think of a few things he'd like to do right now. "Anything you want." 

"How about you take your shirt off and we hard core make out for fifteen minutes and see if things progress." 

This, Ben thinks as he nods his assent against her neck, is why she's the best. Her skin is hot underneath his lips and his hands as he caresses her sides. The last thing he wants to do is rush this, but at the same time, he really wants to know what Leslie looks like when she's being satisfied. 

And he wants to be the one to do it. 

He kisses her again, to try to slow things down, but Leslie's rubbing his back and saying his name like a mantra and her legs are wrapped around him and it's hard not to just move. 

But then she bites his neck and he loses it. 

With a growl, he kisses her hard and then starts his assault, kissing her every where he can reach, her shoulders, her neck, down her chest to her bra where he looks up at her and she nods, reaching behind her and removing the garment with one quick motion and yeah, he needs to learn how to do that. 

And wow. 

It's not like Ben's never seen boobs before. He has _Playboys_ under his mattress and plenty of gifs of naked women on his computer and a healthy imagination but this is far better than anything Ben could have ever thought of. 

Temporarily, very temporarily, Ben's brain stops working and he forgets what he's supposed to be doing. But then she throws her legs around his waist and sits in his lap, taking his bottom lip between her teeth and his brain kick starts and he lets his hands explore. She's soft yet heavy in his hands but it's really the way Leslie breathes out his name and arches her back when he flicks his thumb over her nipple that makes his heart jump. 

He wants to cover her body in kisses, so he does, pressing his lips hard and soft across her chest and down between her cleavage. Looking up, he catches her eye and smiles, kissing the freckle on her left breast before continuing his navigation down her body to her jeans. 

"You don't have to," she says, her voice a bare whisper. 

"I want to, if you want to. I gotta tell you, I'm probably going to be terrible though." 

Leslie throws her head back and laughs. "Do you want a diagram?" 

Ben groans into her stomach. "You talked to Donna." 

"She called." 

"Ugh. I'm never telling anyone anything ever again." 

She just laughs harder at this, a delightful cackle that's as beautiful to hear as it is annoying given the circumstances. "Relax, babe," she says, carding her fingers through his hair. "Why don't you turn on some music? 

"Um-" 

"My iTunes is open," she says, and he slides off the bed and goes to her computer, moving the mouse to get out the screen saver. 

Her background picture is of them at JJ's. He's pretty sure the Leslie in the picture is more enamored with the waffles, but it's not her he's staring at, it's himself. He's looking at Leslie like she's the center of his universe. 

The picture was taken over a year ago. 

"I was so stupid." 

"What?" 

He quickly presses play on her iTunes and is pleasantly surprised when "Lets Stay Together" by Al Green starts. He turns around, and his breath catches at the sight of Leslie, topless and flushed and beautiful watching him. "I love you." 

"I know," she reaches out, "now come here." 

Ben grins and walks back to the bed, letting her pull him down.


End file.
